MISCELLANEOUS NOTES. 6'do 



climbed the tree and beheld a glorious sight. In the large boMl-f-haped nest of 

 twigs and lined with a few dead leaves were seven large spheroidal glossy eream 

 coloured eggs mottled with bro^\^l and purple. Darkness ard the attentions of 

 large red ants curtailed our gloat, and the eggs were collected. The next day 

 was heavily overcast and it Avas not possible to photograph the nest. On the 

 30th July at Upper Tanbingon on the same river, some 20 miles down stream 

 Ave heard the unmistakable ' bubble bubble ' call of the bird in the flooded 

 jungle, and fomid another nest with seven eggs, which like the first clutch 

 found, were very slightly incubated. The eggs were in a similar nest similarly 

 placed to the fii'st but rather neater and only about three feet above the 

 water. These eggs are with Mr. Smith. 



Om- next find was at Hmetkadan about a further 20 miles doAMistream on 

 the same river. This was on the 2nd August. The nest had been foiuid on the 

 31st of July containing two eggs and still had two eggs when v.e visited it. The 

 nest was photographed "in situ" and also the nesting site. This rest was 

 about nine feet above the water and on the higher branches of a thorny bush, 

 not so much overhung as the first two nests. Nest and eggs were sent to Mr. 

 J. C. Hopwood. On the 6th August, much to mj annoyance and contrary to 

 express orders, six eggs were brought to me by a villager, with the information 

 that they were from two different nests, each of which had contained three eggs. 

 The eggs were all fresh. 



Again on the 9th August a bird, with a badly damaged nest, and five eggs 

 were brought to me. The bird has been caught on the nest on the 8th August. 

 I put it in mjr bath room at Tapmi and gave it a bath-full of fresh river water with 

 plenty of small live fish and shrimps. Also some fish and shrimps on the floor 

 near the bath. It was tied bj^ one leg to the handle of the bath and could get 

 about as much as it liked. It ate fish in the water and also both fish and shi'imps 

 from the floor. In the evening I sent it to Mr. J. C. Hopwood for the Eangoon 

 Zoological Gardens. The five eggs from this nest diiier very considerably from 

 all the eggs previously fomid in that they are not .spheroidal but of an oval shape 

 though of exactly the same coloration as those previously taken. 



On the 11th August in company with Messrs. S. F. Hopwooa, G. E. Dawkins 

 and H. C. Smith I saw two more nests at Mindu, containing three and two eggs 

 respective lj\ The last of these is only a few inches above water level and if the 

 Laka water rises, as it certainly should, the nest Avill be swamped. Another 

 nest has been fomid within a few hmidred yards of these two, and within 2C0 

 yards of the first nest fomid. 



We may thus conclude that the nesting hamit of the Masked Finfoot is the 

 flooded jimgle of the Irrawaddy. Dark places imder thick creepers are 

 favoured." 



The nest sent to me, and referred to by Mr. Marlow above is a very thick mass 

 of small sticks, heaped one upon the other to form a large pad. I should say 

 it must have been nearly a foot in height. Mr. Marlow gives the average 

 dimensions of nests as 15 inches in diameter outer measm-ement, whilst the egg 

 cavity, a shallow cup, is about 8 inches in diameter ; the nests are roughly 

 circular. The eggs, of which I have seen 20 up to date, are with 

 the exception of the elongated specimens found by Mr. Marlow, all of 

 a spheroidal shape, some being very nearly sperical: in many eggs the two ends 

 are more or less pointed, giving the egg a very curious appearance, which is best 

 described by saying that a vertical cross section would apiiroximate in shape 

 to the ace of diamonds with the corners rounded off. They are moderately to 

 highly glossy, of coarse texture and very hard sheUed. In coloration and mark- 

 ings they are strongly Ralline, and could be exactly matched in colour pattern 

 by many eggs of the Blue-breasted Banded Rail {Hijpotcenidia striata). The 

 ground colour is creamy, sometimes very pale, at others with a strong greenish 

 tinge,-but in any one clutch the ground colour is the same for all the eggs. The 



