201 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol. VIII. 
brown, some being more or less stippled and clouded with darker 
shades of the same, the stipplings being so fine that the eggs appear 
to be of one uniform colour. 
(80) Testa CYANOVENTRIS.—The Slaty-bellied Short-wing. 
Oates, No. 201 ; Hume, No. 328. 
Fairly common at Hungrum and the higher peaks surrounding 
that place, descending to the plains in the cold season. Ihave taken 
some half dozen nests of this bird, and they agreed well with the de- 
scription given by Hodgson (Hume’s Nests and Eggs, vol. I, p. 131), 
but were much smaller, measuring only about 5" in diameter. My 
eggs too are all of a long oval, often considerably pointed at the smaller 
end. The markings, which are everywhere very numerous, vary 
between light pinky-red to dark clear red, always very bright, what- 
ever the tint; 16 eggs average °70" x -59". 
Sub-family Sibune. 
(81) LiopTILa ANNECTENS.-—Blyth’s Sibia. 
Oates, No. 208 ; Hume, No. 613. 
This is the form of sibéa most often met with in North Cachar, but 
at the same time is far from common. Hitherto I have only met 
with it to the east of the Guilong stockade down as far south as the 
range of hills dividing the Jenam and Jiri Rivers. ‘ 
It breeds at Hungrum and the surrounding peaks above 5,000 feet, 
seldom lower. ‘The nests I have seen have all been rather bulky deep 
cups composed outwardly of moss and moss roots with perhaps one or 
two scraps of grass or a leaf or two. The lining seems invariably to be in 
two parts—the imnermost of fine fern and moss roots alone, the inter- 
mediate portion between the true lining and the nest being of shreds of 
grass more or less mixed with roots and herbaceous stems, the latter not 
always present. Unlike its near allies, S. capistrata, L. pulchella, etc., 
this bird does not select very lofty situations for its nest.. Asa rule I have 
taken them from the upper portions of saplings, the branch on which 
they are placed being usually a slender one towards the outside of the 
tree and therefore difficult of access. Little, if any, trouble is taken to 
conceal them, and, even if not noticed at once, the excited movements of 
the parent-birds are sure to attract attention. The tree selected is one: 
