542 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol, X11I, 
No. XVIII._BIRDS’ NESTING IN THE TONS VALLEY, 
(1) No authentic account of the nest and eggs of Microcichla scouleré 
(the Little Forktail) having apparently yet been published, I write to describe 
a nest with eggs which I came across this year, 
On the 12th May I observed a pair of Little Forktails feeding by a small 
_ mountain torrent (in thick forest)—a tributary of the Tons (Jumna) at an 
elevation of nearly 7,000 feet, 
After watching the pair for sometime, I saw one of the birds fly under- 
neath a rock, over which a small cascade was falling. With some difficulty 
one of my men succeeded in gate | the spot, and he announced the presence 
of a nest, with eggs. 
The nest was placed ina niche in the side ofa rock, underneath a larger 
rock, It was ina dark, damp recess, constantly splashed by the falling 
water, and quite invisible from outside, 
The nest isa neat but rather massive cup-shaped structure composed of 
green moss, and lined entirely with brown leaf skeletons, It contained 3 
nearly fresh eggs, which are white, rather sparingly spotted with pale 
reddish, and which measured as follows :— 
80" "58", "85" °59", “79 x57". 
Mean °81” x°58”. 
(2) The eggs of Lophophanes dichrous (the Brown Crested Tit) have 
never been obtained, I believe, so far, The nest of this bird was found by 
me on three previous occasions described on page 192, Vol. IX, and page 468, 
Vol. XII of the Society’s Journal—these nests, however, all contained 
young. 
On the 14th April, 1899, while riding along the Chakrata-Simla road above 
Mundali, at an elevation of about 9,300 feet, I heard the characteristic call 
of this tit from a neighbouring tree, I dismounted and sending my pony on 
a short distance, awaited possible developments, sitting quietly on the bank. 
I soon saw the birds, a pair,in a wild pear tree (Pyrus aria) and had not 
long to wait before one of them disappeared into asmall round hole ina 
dead branch near the top of the tree. I waited no longer, but having climbed 
the tree investigated the hole, out of which the bird now flew. The branch 
was quite rotten so that I easily obtained access to the nest by enlarging the 
hole with my fingers. The nest was made of moss, lined with the fur of rats 
and flying squirrels, and contained 5 fresh eggs, white, spotted and blotched 
fairly thickly all over with chestnut markings. 
They measured as follows :— 
“2 Xr OSes 10! Oo 63", 00" bo) “and tol x O8)e 
Mean °51"x’67”. 
Cuakrata, N.-W. P., B. B. OSMASTON, 
August, 1900. Indian Forest Service, 
