PODICEPS. 403 



Major 0. T. Bingham writes : — " I found several nests in the 

 early part of September in Eeya-ka-tal, on tussocks of grass more 

 than half immersed in water. There was no construction in the 

 nests ; they were merely little heaps of decayed rushes and grass, 

 on which the eggs were laid. I found three nests with the eggs 

 uncovered, the rest had a few of the rushes laid over the eggs. I 

 have never found more than iive eggs in a nest, more commonly 

 four." 



Mr. H. Wenden remarks : — " At Callian I found many nests 

 between 29th August and 9th October, none of which contained 

 more than four eggs. 



" On 26th October at Goolburga Fort, 350 miles from Bombay, 

 I found a nest containing five eggs. Having had good oppor- 

 tunities of observing, I can support Mr. Hume's opinion that 

 freshly-laid eggs are not pure white, but are tinged with blue or 

 green." 



Colonel Butler makes the followihg remarks : — " I found nume- 

 rous nests of the Little firrebe at Milana, near Deesa, in August 

 1876, dates of which are given below. The nes^nvariably consists 

 of a round pincushion-like mass of weeds floating on the surface 

 of the water, usually in beds of rushes or reeos, and the eggs are 

 in most cases covered over with the same material. I have on two 

 occasions only seen the old bird sitting on the nest, and when ob- 

 served she immediately slipped silently off into the water and 

 dived. When first laid the eggs, usually five in number, are pure 

 white, but they so soon become discoloured that, unless taken 

 within an hour or two after they are laid, they become a smoked 

 eafe-aio-lait colour, from the evaporation that takes place in the 

 wet weeds with which they are covered. 



And writing from Belgaum he says: — "Breeds commonly about 

 Belgaum. On the 21st July I took two nests containing two and 

 one fresh egg respectively. On the 11th August found a nest 

 containing four incubated eggs carefully covered over with damp 

 sedge. 17th August, two nests containing three and four fresh 

 eggs respecti\'ely. The shell, when held up to the light, if looked 

 at through the hole, is dark green and the yolk is the deepest 

 colour of any egg I know, almost, I should say, a deep orange. 



26* 



