1848.] Notes on the Nidification of Indian Birds. 691 



from the plains about the middle of April, on the 17th of which month 

 I saw a pair commence building in a thick bush of Hybiscus ? and on 

 the 27th of the same month the nest contained 3 small eggs, hard set. 

 I subsequently took a second from a similar bush, and several from the 

 drooping branches of oak trees, to the twigs of which they were fas- 

 tened. It is not placed on a branch, but is suspended between two 

 thin twigs, to which it is fastened by floss silk torn from the cocoons of 

 " Bombyoc Huttoni" (Westwood) and by a few slender fibres of the 

 bark of trees or hair, according to circumstances. So slight and so 

 fragile is the little oval cup, that it is astonishing the mere weight of the 

 parent bird does not bring it to the ground ; and yet within it three 

 young ones will often safely outride a gale, that will bring the weightier 

 nests of Jays and Thrushes to the ground. Of seven nests now before 

 me, four are composed externally of little bits of green moss, cotton, 

 seed down, and the silk of the wild mulberry moth torn from the co- 

 coons, with which last material moreover, the others appear to be bound 

 together ; within, the lining of two is of the long hairs of the Yak's tail 

 (Bison poephagus) two of which died on the estate where these nests 

 were found ; and the third is lined with black human hair ; the other 

 three are formed of somewhat different materials, two being externally 

 composed of fine grass stalks, seed down and shreds of bark, so fine as 

 to resemble tow ; one is lined with seed down and black fibrous lichens 

 resembling hair ; another is lined with fine grass, and a third with a 

 thick coating of pure white silky seed down. In all the seven, the 

 materials of the two sides are wound round the twigs, between which 

 they are suspended like a cradle, and the shape is an ovate cup about 

 the size of half a hen's egg split longitudinally. The diameter and 

 depth are respectively 2 % f ; and 1^ ins. The eggs usually 3 in num- 

 ber, of a very pale whitish green ; diameter T 8 ^- x T V ms - The young 

 continue with the old birds for some time after leaving the nest, and are 

 often mixed up with the flocks of Pants erythrocephalus. They appear 

 to feed greedily upon the small black berries of a species of Rhamnus 

 common in these localities. They depart for the Doon about the end of 

 October. 



No. 38. — " Orthotomus longicauda" (Gm.) 

 O. Bennettii. (Sykes.) 

 O. snthoriusy v. ruficapillus, v. sphoznura. (Hodg. Gray.) 



