STHEA. - 283 



excessively flimsy deep cup, about 3 inches in diameter, and 2| inches 

 in depth internally. It was composed of downy seeds of grass 

 held together externally by a few very fine t blades of grass, and 

 irregularly and loosely lined with excessively fine grass-stems. 



Many other nests subsequently obtained were similar in their 

 materials, the great body of the nest consisting of grass-down, 

 slightly felted together and wound round with slender blades of 

 grass. The nest, however, is by no means always cup-shaped ; it 

 is often covered in above, an aperture being left on one side near 

 the top. 



A nest which I found near Kotegurh is composed of fine grass 

 very loosely and slightly put together, all the interspaces being 

 carefully filled in with grass-down firmly felted together. The 

 nest is nearly the shape of an egg, the entrance being on one side, 

 and extending from about the middle to close to the top. The ex- 

 terior dimensions of the nest are about 5| inches for the major 

 axis, and 3 inches for the minor. The entrance-aperture is circu- 

 lar, and about 2 inches in diameter. The thickness of the nest is 

 a little over three eighths of an inch ; but the lower portion, which 

 is lined with very fine grass-stems, is somewhat thicker. The nest 

 was in a thorny bush, partly suspended from just above the en- 

 trance-aperture and partly resting against, though not attached to, 

 some neighbouring twigs. It contained seven eggs, and w as taken 

 at Kirlee (Kotegurh) on the 30th May. Of course, the position 

 of the nest was that of au egg standing on end and not lying on 

 its side. 



They lay from five to seven eggs, and have, I think, two 

 broods. 



Dr. Jerdon states that " it makes a large, loosely constructed 

 nest of fine grass, the opening near the top a little at one side, and 

 lays three or four eggs of a fleshy white, with numerous small 

 rusty-red spots tending to form a ring at the large end." 



Writing about a collection of eggs made at Murree, Messrs. Cock 

 and Marshall tell us : — " Nest built in high jungle-grass, loosely but 

 neatly made of very fine grass and cobwebs, opening at one side 

 near the top. Breeds late in June at about 4000 feet elevation." 



Prom Almorah Mr. Brooks writes that this species was " common 

 on hill-sides where low bushes were numerous. One nest found 

 was suspended in a low bush, and was a very neat purse-shaped 

 one, with an opening near the top and rather on one side. It 

 was composed of fine soft grass of a kind which had dried 

 green, and was intermixed with the down of plants and lined 

 with finer grass. The eggs were four in number; the ground- 

 colour white, speckled sparingly with light red, but having also a 

 broad zone or ring of deeper reddish brown very near the large 

 end — on the top of the larger end, in fact. 

 " Laying in Kumaon in May." 



Prom Mussoorie Captain Hutton remarks : — " This little bird 

 appears on the hill, at about 5000 feet, in May. A nest taken 



