THE BIRDS OF NORTH CACHAR. 204 
massive and was wound round with the dead brown stems of some 
jungle plant, fern roots, a few very fine tendrils and one or two small 
leaves, all further strengthened by a few cobwebs. The lining is of 
the same grass as the rest of the nest, with the addition of half-a-dozen 
tiny feathers. In shape the nest is a compact little cup; the internal 
dimensions are about 2°2” in diameter by rather over one inch in 
depth ; externally the nest is about 1:6" in depth and in breadth 
across the narrower way 3°8”, or across it, so as to include the outer 
side, 4°4". The jungle in which it was found was composed of mixed 
clump bamboos and trees, with a scanty undergrowth of bracken and 
shrubs. In 1891 on the 20th April I found another nest which was 
placed in a low road-side bank. The place was absolutely devoid of 
all vegetation, and the nest could be seen from some ten paces 
distant in both directions. As it was empty, it was not disturbed or 
measured. On the 28rd I took another nest containing a single ege. 
Tn this case also it was placed in a hole about a foot deep or rather 
less, just below the top of a perpendicular mud wall by a pathway ; 
there was no attempt at concealment, and the nest could not have 
been overlooked. Of these two nests, one was found at about 
2,300 feet elevation and the other at about 4,000 feet. The nests are 
both like that already described, but there are no feathers in the 
lining of either. The nest taken in 1890 was found quite close to 
where the one on the 20th April was obtained. A third nest, found 
on the 25th, was placed in exactly the same position as the others, 
namely, in a hole in a bare road-side bank, but differed in being made 
solely of grass and in being slightly smaller. The dimensions are 
internally 2" in diameter by -9” in depth or rather less. Since the 
last date I have taken more than a dozen nests, all of which were got 
whilst marching from one camp to another, being placed in holes by 
the road-side, and in shape, materials, etc., agreeing with those 
already described. 
The first-mentioned nest contained three eggs, perfectly fresh, in 
colour a pure white rather profusely spotted and speckled with different 
shades of brown, principally ofa rather light sienna ; here and there 
are also a few minute blotches of a greyish colour, and in one 
egg there is also a dark hair-like mark, about °2” long, on the 
larger end. In one ege the markings tend to form an_ indis- 
