STAOHTRHIDOPSIS. 113 



creepers and shoots, and is composed almost exclusively of dry 

 bamboo-leaves neatly, but rather loosely, interwoven, and lined 

 also with these leaves. One which be measured was rather oval in 

 shape, 5*25 inches in diameter one way, by 4 the other, and 3'6 in 

 height. The leaves used in the rim oE the cup were projected a 

 little inwards, so as to make the mouth of the cavity a little smaller 

 than the diameter of this latter within. The diameter of the mouth 

 was 2 inches, that of the cavity 2'5, and the latter is about 1*5 

 deep. Pour eggs are laid, a sort of brownish white, speckled and 

 spotted with brown or reddish brown. The egg figured measures 

 07 by 0-52, and is a moderately broad, regular oval. 



Dr. Jerdon says : — " A nest and eggs, said to be of this species, 

 were brought to me at Darjeeling. The nest was a loose structure 

 of grass and fibres, and contained two eggs of a greenish-white 

 colour with some rusty spots." 



Prom Sikhim Mr. G-ammie writes : — " I took two nests of this 

 Babbler iD April ; one of them at an elevation of 3500 feet, the 

 other at 5000 feet, but it no doubt breeds also both lower and 

 higher. They are of a neat egg-shape, with entrance at side, and 

 were fixed vertically between a few upright sprays, within three feet 

 of the ground, in open situations near large trees. Mr. Hodgson 

 evidently did not take the one he describes with his own hands, 

 for he places it horizontally, which gives a height of 3"6 inches 

 only. The external dimensions are about 5'5 inches in height and 

 4 in diameter. Internally the diameter is 2 inches, and the depth, 

 from roof, 3'25. The entrance is 2 across. They are composed of 

 dry bamboo-leaves only, put neatly and firmly together, and are 

 lined with a very few grassy fibres. They each contained four 

 well-set eggs.'' 



Mr. Mandelli, however, took a nest of this species at Lebong on 

 the 23rd June, in the middle of a tea-bush which grew at the side 

 of a small ravine, which was neither hooded nor domed. The nest 

 was about 18 inches from the ground and completely sheltered from 

 above by tea-leaves. It was a deep cup composed externally chiefly 

 of bamboo-leaves, but with a good many dead leaves of trees in- 

 corporated in the base, and lined with very fine grass-stems. It 

 contained four fresh eggs. It is quite clear that this species, like 

 S. nigriceps, only domes its nest in certain situations. 



The eggs obtained by Mr. Gammie and Mr. Mandelli are very 

 regular, slightly elongated ovals. The shell is very fine and com- 

 pact, but has only a faint gloss. The ground is white and round 

 the larger end is a zone or imperfect cap of specks and spots of 

 brownish red, generally intermingled with tiny spots, usually very 

 faint, of pale purple. A few specks and spots brown, yellowish, 

 or reddish brown, and sometimes also pale purple, are scattered 

 about the rest of the egg. 



In length the eggs vary from 0-64 to 0-72, and in breadth from 

 0-50 to 0-53, but the average of eight eggs was - 68 by 0-52 

 nearly. 



vol. i. 8 



