NOTES ON THE NIDIFICATION OF CERTAIN BIRDS. 191 



(2) Anthus pratensis, Lin. 



On May 25th I was walking along a bare grassy slope varied with 

 patches of snow, near the ridge, and at an elevation of nearly 11,000 

 feet, when a bird flew out from under my feet, disclosing a nest and 

 three fresh eggs, of the regular pipit type. I returned to camp for 

 my gun, and waited for the bird, which shortly returned and was duly 

 secured. The skin was sent for identification to the Superintendent of 

 the Indian Museum, Calcutta, by whom it was pronounced to be 

 Anthus pratensis — the English meadow-pipit or titlark. 



This bird, so common at home, has rarely, if ever, been shot in India, 

 and its nest has never before been found in this country. 



The nest and eggs were similar to many I have seen at home ; the 

 former being cup-shaped, placed in a hollow in the ground and 

 composed of fine grass stalks. The eggs were rather broad ovals, 

 thickly spotted all over with slatey-gray and dark brown, the ground- 

 colour, where visible, being grayish. 



The average of the three eggs measured was : — 

 Length ... '81 inches. 

 Breadth ... *61 „ 



I shot another specimen out of many more of these pipits seen in 

 the neighbourhood, all of which were probably breeding near by. 



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



I found two nests of this pretty redstart on the 25th and 29th May 

 respectively, at about 11,000 feet. The former contained three hard- 

 set eggs, the latter four half-fledged young. The nests were very 

 similar in structure and position, being placed in holes in rocks, about 

 three feet from the ground, and composed of moss interwoven with a 

 woolly composite plant and some grass, and lined with moss, a few 

 feathers, and musk-deer hair. The eggs were rather long ovals 

 coloured pinkish cafe-au-lait, with a zone of confluent pinkish-brown 

 markings and a few gray specks near the larger end. 



This colour is most extraordinary for a redstart and I cannot but 

 think that they are abnormal. There could be no possible doubt as 

 to the identity of the bird which I shot off the nest, and sent to 

 Calcutta, where my own opinion was confirmed, 

 li 



