THE BVLBULS OF NOBTFI CACITAR. 423 



One nest contained two young birds, the other three, each three 

 eggs. One of these chitches was given away, I regret to say, 

 before I tookauy measurements or noted their coloration. 



The other two clutches were in ground-colour a very pale pinkish- 

 white decidedly suffused with brown towards the larger end. The 

 primary markings consist of rather bold spots and small blotches, 

 ranging in colour from a dark reddish-brown to a very deep purple 

 and are scattered rather sparsely over the whole surface forming 

 an indistinct ring towards the larger end. The secondary marks 

 consist of spots, specks and irregular blotches of pale grey and neu- 

 tral tint, and in addition to these are a good many indistinct smears 

 and blotches of pale vandyke-brown. About the larger end, in four 

 eggs, there are one or two very long but extremely fine hair-like 

 lines, in colour a purple black or clotted blood-colour. 



The three eggs I gave away were, if I remember rightly, less 

 brown in their general appearance, and they were also different in 

 shape, being somewhat lengthened ovals, whereas my other eggs are 

 all rather broad ovals, but little compressed towards the smaller end. 

 The texture is fine and close, but exhibits no gloss. It is very 

 fragile. The largest of the six eggs measured is •86"X"65"; the 

 smallest •82"X-60," and they average •84"X-63.'' 



This bird is here found in but few localities, and is rare even 

 in those few. I have but once seen it in the cold season, when I 

 observed about a dozen birds together in a clump of small saplings 

 and bushes; they kept close to one another and moved about very 

 continuously and rapidly from one sapling to another, not visiting at 

 all the few big trees that were close by. During the rains and hot 

 weather, all the birds I have seen, whether in pairs only or in small 

 flocks, were scuttling and dodging about in the thick scrub jungle 

 and appeared to have deserted the higher trees altogether. When 

 disturbed in scrub jungle they do not fly for anj^ distance, but take 

 short flights from one bush to another until they consider themselves 

 safe, very much in the manner of many Babblers. They are, however, 

 capable of long flights, and are, I think, stronger on the wing than 

 most members of this sub-family, and their flight also is very fairly 

 steady. Their principal note is the 'Moud mellow warble" men- 

 tioned by Jerdon, but my experience does not prove that it is often 



