THE BULBULS OF NORTH C AC HAH. 267 



or upright fork, generally the former. Very little of the material 

 is wound round the supporting branches, but a good many cobwebs 

 are always used in order to render it sufficiently safe. It is generally 

 built in fairly open country or the outskirts of forests, but I have 

 taken one or two nests from deep jungle. 



The normal number of eggs is three, often only two, and four is 

 quite exceptional. In coloration they are merely enlarged facsimiles 

 of many eggs of P. pyacus. The ground-colour ranges from dead 

 white to a very faint cream, a few, very few, eggs being rather 

 darkish cream. The markings consist of numerous small blotches, 

 spots and specks of different shades of reddish-brown and purple- 

 brown; in some eggs one tint prevails, in others another colour. 

 The secondary markings are of pale inky and pale purplish or 

 lavender. In about four eggs in seven the markings are numerous 

 everywhere, becoming more so towards the larger end ; in a few 

 they are nearly all crowded together there, forming a cap or zone, 

 sparsely scattered elsewhere. In one or two clutches the superior 

 spots are very few and the inferior, lavender ones, particularly 

 numerous, giving the eggs a very grey tint. I have one handsome 

 clutch in which both primary and secondary markings are few in 

 number, and consist of rather bold dark blotches, forming a deep ring 

 round the larger half. 



There are two typical shapes — first and commonest, a regular 

 rather broad oval, and secondly a long pointed oval, considerably 

 drawn out towards the smaller end. Nine-tenths of mv earffs are 

 referable to one or the other type, the rest being either extermediate 

 or exaggerated forms of these. They breed throughout May, June, 

 and early July, a few as early as April, and very few late in July 

 and early August. June is the principal month. 



The average of thirty-two eggs is 1*05* X -TT* 



This bird is most common on the West and South of the hills, 

 towards the East it is in a great measure replaced by H. concolor. 

 Both birds are, however, found in this direction everywhere 

 between 2,000 feet and the highest peaks of about 7,000 feet. They 

 do not breed below 2,500 feet, though they may be found in the 

 plains until late in April, when the last few birds retire into the 

 more mountainous parts. During the cold season single birds are 



