JEGITHINA. 153 



three eggs. This is the only nest I have not taken since I came to 

 India the second time." 



Prom Eaipoor, Mr. F. E. Blewitt remarks : — " The Iora breeds 

 from July to September, and certainly not, as Dr. Jerdon supposes, 

 twice a year. Both birds assist in the building of the nests, and 

 there evidently appears to be no choice of any particular kind of 

 tree on which to build. I have found them indiscriminately on 

 the mango, mowah, neem, and other trees. The nest is invariably 

 made either just above or between the fork of two outshooting 

 slender horizontal branches. It is very neatly made, deeply cup- 

 shaped, of grass and fibres, with spider's web on the exterior. 

 The maximum number of eggs is three ; they are of a pale whitish 

 colour, marked generally, chiefly at the broad end, with brownish 

 spots. The brown spots vary in size on different eggs. I secured 

 the first eggs on the 12th July, and the last on the 2nd September. 

 A pair of birds were on this last date just completing their nest, 

 which unfortunately was destroyed by the heavy rains." 



Captain Cock says : — " Iora tiphia is tolerably common at Seeta- 

 poor (Oudh), and I have several times taken their nests and eggs. 

 I may here mention that I have taken eggs of Iora zeylonica at 

 Etawah, and that knowing the birds well, I can say that it is quite 

 a distinct bird ; although in the marking of its eggs there is a 

 slight resemblance, yet the nests of the two species are quite dif- 

 ferent. On the 13th May I observed a nest of /. tiphia on a young 

 mango-tree, at the. edge of a croquet-ground in our garden. I 

 shot both male and female and took the eggs ; the nest was placed 

 on the upperside of a sloping bough, was covered outside with cob- 

 web, and lined with thin dry grass. It contained two fresh eggs 

 of a delicate pink colour, with broad irregularly-shaped dashes of 

 light brown down the sides of the shell, not tending to coalesce in 

 any way at either apex. Another pair also built their nest on the 

 edge of the same ground in another tree ; but unfortunately in a 

 weak moment I pointed out the nest to a lady friend, and as there- 

 after no one ever played croquet on the ground without staring at 

 the nest, the birds got disgusted and soon deserted it." 



To this I need merely add that of course typical jSS. tiphia and 

 typical 2E. zeylonica are very distinct, but that as every intermediate 

 form occurs, they are not, according to my views of what consti- 

 tutes a species, entitled to specific separation, and that as regards 

 nest and eggs, according to my experience, every variety in the one 

 is to be found in the other. 



Dr. Jerdon, speaking of Southern India, remarks : — " I have seen 

 the nest and eggs on several occasions. The nest is deep, cup-shaped, 

 very neatly made with grass, various fibres, hairs, and spiders' 

 webs ; and the eggs, two or three in number, are reddish white, 

 with numerous darker red spots, chiefly at the thicker end. It 

 breeds in the south of India in August and September ; perhaps, 

 however, twice a year." 



"Writing from South "Wynaad, Mr. J. Darling (Junior) says : — " I 

 found the nest, which with the eggs and both parents I have now 



