134 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol. IX. 



The eggs are pure glossy-white speckled and blotched with bright 

 rufous-red, with a few secondary small blotches of lavender confined 

 entirely to the larger end. The marks are very numerous at this end, 

 decreasing towards the smaller. In one egg, quite at the extremity 

 of the larger end, there is a fairly distinct ring about *2" wide, and in 

 the other there is a very ill-defined cap. They are very bright, glossy 

 eggs, smooth and close-grained, but rather brittle. They are long 

 ovals, one being very obtuse, the other rather pointed ; the former 

 measures -89"* -62", and the latter -9"x-6." 



(272) Ruticilla frontalis. — The Blue-fronted Redstart. 

 Oates, No. 639 ; Hume, No. 503. 

 A very rare resident. I have shot one bird in Gunjong (2,500 feet), 

 and another near Halflong (about 3,500). 



(273) R. atjrorea. — The Daurian Redstart. 

 Oates, No. 641 ; Hume, No. 500. 

 Not at all rare from October to March. 



(274) R. hodgsoni. — Hodgson's Redstart. 

 Oates, No. 643 ; Hume, No. 498. 

 I have shot but three of Hodgson's redstart, all males and all shot 

 between the 1st November and 15th January. 



(275) R. rufiventris. — The Indian Redstart. 

 Oates, No. 644; Hume, No. 497. 

 Very common during the winter, and as many birds do not leave 

 until late in April their breeding place must be somewhere near North 

 Cachar, a few probably remaining to breed. A nest containing a 

 single egg which was brought to me belonged, I am almost sure, to a 

 redstart of sorts and more likely to this than to any other species. 

 (276) Rhyarcornis fuliginostjs. — The Plumbeous Redstart. 

 Oates, No. 646 ; Hume, No. 505. 

 Extremely common from the beginning of October to the end of 

 March, but I have seen none during the other six months. I imagine 

 that the young males do not don their full plumage until the second 

 year, as many males shot during the months above mentioned were in 

 female plumage. For every male shot in North Cachar I think there 

 must be fully three females, and to every bird in full male attire there 

 are nearly twenty in female dress. 



