Nest of the Grey-winged Ouzel 



went farther down the stream to try to see 

 something of a pair of red-billed blue magpies 

 {Urocissa occipitalis). 



The magpies were not at home that after- 

 noon, and while waiting for them I caught 

 sight of a bird among the foliage lower down 

 the hill. At first I took this for a Himalayan 

 whistling-thrush. I followed its movements 

 through my field-glasses, and saw it alight on 

 part of the gnarled and twisted trunk of a 

 rhododendron tree. Closer inspection showed 

 that the bird was a grey-winged ouzel. He 

 had apparently caught sight of me, for his 

 whole attitude was that of a suspicious bird 

 with a nest in the vicinity. He remained 

 motionless for several minutes. 



As I watched him a ray of sunlight pene- 

 trated the thick foliage and fell upon the part 

 of the tree where he was standing, and revealed 

 to me that he was on the edge of a cunningly- 

 placed nest. 



The trunk of the rhododendron tree bifur- 

 cated about 20 feet above the ground ; one 

 limb grew nearly upright, the other almost 

 horizontally for a few feet, and then broke up 

 into five branches, or, rather, gave ofi^ four 

 upwardly-directed branches, each as thick as 

 159 



