i923.| Observations on breeding of some Common Birds. 149 
Dicrurus macrocercus macrocercus (Viell.). 
On the 16th of March, while photographing the nest of the 
Oriole above referred to, squeakings from a neighbouring 
mango tree attracted my attention and, to my surprise, I found 
that the noise came from the nest of a Black Drongo or the 
common King-Crow with four perfectly hale and hearty chicks 
clamouring for rations. This also was another surprise for 
me because [—and I do not think any other Ornithologist— 
could have dreamt of finding a nest of this bird at so early a 
ate. This is what Hume says about the breeding season of 
this bird :— 
“ A few eggs may be found towards the close of April, and 
again during the first week of August, but May, June and July 
are the months.’’ (Oates in Hume’s Nests and Eggs, 2nd 
Edition. Vol. I. p. 198.) Munn, in the article above referred to 
writes, ‘* It breeds during the end of April and in May.” 
Considering that on the 16th March there were four young, 
the nest was very probably built at the end of February, 
and the preliminaries to nesting, e.g. courtship, ete. m 
have taken place earlier. This instance, therefore, is certainly 
unusually early. : 
On the 2Ist and 23rd March I went to the locality again 
to photograph the birds. By this time the youngsters were 
quite grown up and had come out of the nest. : took their 
photographs. In the evening when I was preparing to return 
I noticed the mother bird feeding the young. They allowed 
me to approach within a few feet of them. As my film-supply 
was exhausted I was unfortunately unable to photograph this 
interesting and hitherto unphotographed scene. I brought 
away the deserted nest. 
thin scalings from plantain trees and fine fibres of palm or 
cocoanut leaves. It is a very neat, well-made and compact 
nest. egg-cup is smaller and shallower than that of the 
above described nest, viz. of O. 1. luteolus. But peculiarly 
enough though the Oriole is noted for its architectural perfec - 
tion, it was found that the King-crow’s nest was neater and 
cleaner than that of the Oriole. 
The following are the measurements of the nest :— 
Greatest diameter, from one branch of the 
fork to which it was attached, to anothe inches, 
Diameter of the egg-cavity -. + » 
Depth b os .+ « It » 
Height, top to bottom :% ~~ oe a 
Thickness of the walls - -- inch. 
