1124 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY, Vol, XXI. 



clutches being found by sportsmen in that district, one in March 

 and the other in July. 



In 1906 and the following years I employed a large number of 

 men to work the Terai land at the foot of the Himalayas in the 

 Goalpara and Mangaldai Districts and succeeded eventually in ob- 

 taining a very fine series of their eggs and in all over 60 have now 

 passed through my hands. 



The result of this work shows beyond all doubt that the normal 

 breeding season of the Florican is much earlier than has hitherto 

 been thought to be the case. The months in which the vast majority 

 of eggs are laid are March and April and it may be said that the 

 height of the laying season is from the 10th March to the 15th April. 

 Some few birds will, however, be found to be laying in May and 

 yet a few others as late as June, but in this latter case I fancy the 

 clutches are second layings in place of others which have been 

 taken or destroyed, 



Messrs. Shillingford, Whymper and others have certainly 

 taken their eggs in June, and the latter assures me that he believes 

 that June is the normal laying month for Florican in the north- 

 western Nepal Terai. All these people have however taken but a 

 casual nest here and there, and I still consider the weight of 

 evidence points to the Florican being an early breeder. 



The following are the dates on which I have taken, or had taken, 

 Florican 's eggs : — 



28th February, Two eggs, quite fresh. 

 3rd March One Qgg do. 

 6th ,, Two eggs do. 



7th ,, Two pairs of eggs, fresh. 



14th ,, One pair, slightly incubated. 



16th ,, One egg, hard set (about 20 days). 



19th ,, Two pairs, one fresh, one hard set. 



24th ,, Two pairs, both fresh. 



25th ,, One pair, fresh. 



29th ,, Three pairs, two slightly incubated, one fresh. 



30th ,, One pair, slightly incubated. 



3rd April, One pair, fresh. 

 '^th ,, One pair, fresh. 



