PJJANEXINIA. 243 



|' June 29th. Pound a nest sewn into a broad soft leaf of a weed 

 in forest about 2 feet from the ground. The edges of the leaf are 

 drawn together and fastened by white vegetable fibres. The nest 

 is composed entirely of fine grass, no other material entering into 

 its composition. For further security the nest is stitched to the 

 leaves in a few places ; the depth of the nest is about 3 inches, and 

 internal diameter all the way down about 1|. Eggs three, very 

 glossy, pale blue, with specks and dashes of pale reddish brown, 

 chiefly at the larger end, where they form a cap. Size -58, -62, -61, 

 by -47." 



Mr. Mandelli sends me a regular Tailor-bird's nest as that of 

 this species. It was found below Yendoug in Native Sikhim on 

 the 1st May, and contained three fresh eggs. The nest itself is a 

 beautiful little cup, composed of silky vegetable down and exces- 

 sively fine grass-stems, and a very little black hair firmly felted 

 together, and is placed between two living leaves of a sapling neatly 

 sewn together at the margins with bright yellow silk. 



The eggs are rather elongated, very regular ovals. The shell 

 stout for the size of the egg, but very fine and compact, and with 

 a moderate gloss. The ground-colour is a very delicate pale 

 greenish blue. At or round the larger end there is very generally 

 a mottled cap or zone (more commonly the latter) of duller or 

 brighter brownish red, while irregular blotches, streaks, spots, and 

 specks of the same colour, but usually a slightly paler shade, are 

 more or less sparsely scattered over the rest of the surface of the 

 egg, sometimes they are almost wholly wanting. Occasionally the 

 zone is at the small end. 



The eggs measure from 0-60 to 0-62 in length, by 0-43 to 0-48 

 in breadth ; but the average of six eggs is - 61 by 0-45. 



384. Franklinia buchanani (Blyth). The Rufous-fronted 

 Wren-Warbler. 



Franklinia buchanani (Blyth), Jerd. B. Ind. ii, p. 186 ; Hume, Rough 

 Draft N. 8f E. no. 551. 



The Bufous-fronted Wren- Warbler breeds throughout Central 

 India, the Central Provinces, the North-western Provinces, the 

 Punjab, and Eajpootana. It affects chiefly the drier and warmer 

 tracts, and, though said to have been obtained in the Nepal Terai, 

 has never been met with by me either there or in any very moist, 

 s.vampy locality. The breeding-season extends from the end of 

 May until the beginning of September. 



The nests, according to my experience, are always placed at 

 heights of from a foot to 4 feet from the ground, in low scrub- 

 jungle or bushes. They vary greatly in size and shape, according 

 to position. Some are oblate spheroids with the aperture near the 

 top, some are purse-like and suspended, and some are regular 

 cups. One of the former description measured externally 5 inches 

 in diameter one way by 3| inches the other. One of the suspended 



16* 



