GEAMMATOPTILA. 67 



- 63 to 0*8 ; but the average of fifty-eight eggs carefully measured 

 is 1-01 by 0-73. 



101. Grammatoptila striata (Vig.). The Striated Laughing- 

 Thrush. 



Grammatoptila striata (Vig.) Jerd. B. Ind. ii, p. 11 ; Hume, Bough 

 Draft N. Sf E. no. 382. 



The Striated Laughing-Thrush, remarks Mr. Blyth, " builds a 

 compact Jay-like nest. The eggs are spotless blue, as shown by 

 one of Mr. Hodgson's drawings in the British Museum." 



A nest of this species found near Darjeeling in July was placed 

 on the branches of a large tree, at a height of about 12 feet. 



It was a huge shallow cup, composed mainly of moss, bound 

 together with stems of creepers and fronds of a Selaginella, and 

 lined with coarse roots and broken pieces of dry grass. A few 

 dead leaves were incorporated in the body of the nest. The nest 

 was about 8 or 9 inches in diameter and about 2 in thickness, the 

 broad, shallow, saucer-like cavity being about an inch in depth. 



The nest contained two nearly fresh eggs. The eggs appear to 

 be rather peculiarly shaped. They are moderately elongated ovals, 

 a good deal pinched out and pointed towards the small end, in the 

 same manner (though in a less degree) as those of some Plovers, 

 Snipe, &c. I do not know whether this is the typical shape of 

 this egg, or whether it is an abnormal peculiarity of the eggs of 

 this particular nest. The shell is fine, but the eggs have very 

 little gloss. In colour they are a very pale spotless blue, not much 

 darker than those of Zosterops palpebrosus. 



The eggs measure 1-3 and 1-32 in length, and 0-89 and 0-92 in 

 breadth. 



Prom Sikhim, Mr. Gammie writes : — " In the first week of May I 

 took a nest of the Striated Laughing-Thrush out of a small tree grow- 

 ing in the forest at 5500 feet above the sea. It was fixed among 

 spray about 10 feet up. In shape it is a shallow, broad cup, and 

 is built in three layers : the outer one of twining stems, which 

 besides holding the nest together fastened it to the spray; the 

 middle layer is an intermixture of green moss and fresh fern- 

 fronds, and the inner a thick lining of roots. Externally it mea- 

 sured 7'5 inches broad by 5-25 inches deep ; internally 4 inches 

 by 2*75 inches. 



" It contained two hard-set eggs." 



Several nests of this species that I have now seen have all been 

 of the same type, large nests 9 or 10 inches in diameter, and 4 to 

 5 in height, the body of the nest composed mainly of green moss 

 interwoven with and bound round about with the stems of creepers 

 and a few pliant twigs, many of which straggle away a good deal 

 outside the limits which I have assigned in stating the dimensions 

 above. The cavities are not quite hemispherical, a little shallower, 

 say 4 - 5 inches in diameter and 2 inches in depth, closely lined 



5* 



