80 
па thick lining of black or brown fibrous roots. 
together, without any foundation of mud, but wit 
greenish white, blotched, splashed, streaked and 
'The number of eggs in one case was three, pale 
Тһе underlying markings are pale dull 
spotted with brownish red, principally at the larger end. 
purple. They vary in length from 1:06 to 1:05 inch, and in breadth from 0:82 to 0:79 inch (Oates's 
ed. Hume's * Nests and Eggs of Indian Birds, ii. p. 109). 
Mr. Stuart Baker, in his account of the nesting of birds in North Cachar, writes concerning the 
present species :—“ Ву no means common, but found scattered throughout the district in the cold 
weather; in the hot weather and rains it is confined chiefly to the high ranges of the east, where it 
breeds in June and July. Тһе first nest I ever took of this bird was rather abnormal in its 
construction, so I give the description of it which appeared at the time in the * Asian.” 
«The first nest I have ever seen of this bird was found on the 18th of June, 1890, and was 
taken from a thick tangle of cane-bush and creepers, in which it was placed at a height of some 
six feet from the ground. Му attention was attracted to the bush in question by the bird flying out, 
and, on shooting it, I found it to be of this species. The nest was placed well inside the bush, and 
it was not until I had cut away a considerable amount of leaves and branches that I could get at it. 
It was a rather massive, shallow cup, about 4 inches in internal diameter by rather more than 1 inch 
in depth; the exterior materials were coarse fern-roots, grass, twigs, and dry stalks of plants, all 
intertwined with one another, and with here and there a dead leaf fastened in. The lining was of 
grass and fine fibres and was fairly thick. 
“The eggs, which were three in number, 
the ground-colour is a pale greeny grey, pr 
coalescing to the larger end and gradually decreasing towards the smaller. 
-set, and the shell was very fragile, otherwise much as in G. citrina. 
“Та size they are larger than the average egg of that bird, measuring 1:09 x 08, 1:08 0:76, 
ара 1:08х0:75. The next nest taken was found on the 12th June, 1892. Іп shape, position, &с., 
it was just the same as that described above, merely being a shade smaller; the material used, 
however, was three-quarters moss mixed with a few twigs and roots, and lined with moss and fern- 
roots. This nest contained three eggs, of the same character as those already described, but having a 
colour, and the blotches far redder and somewhat brighter. One egg was 
are quite like the eggs of G. citrina in appearance; 
ofusely speckled with a reddish-brown, the markings 
“They were hard 
pale yellow-buff ground- 
smashed before being measured, the other two were 1:14 х 0:82 and 1:1х 0:81. 
« Several nests taken in July this year (1893) were made entirely of living moss outwardly, then 
moss both dead and alive mixed with fern- and moss-roots, and with the lining of fine moss and fern- 
roots. 
« In a few nests there were a certain number of fine bamboo-roots used next the lining 
or two nests there were a few twigs, and in one three leaves and a bamboo-spathe. In size these nests 
average about 5:75 across and 2:25 deep, the inner cup being about 38:6 x 1:5." 
Тһе adult male and female may be described as follows :—General colour of the upper parts 
olive-brown, slightly darker on the crown and паре; lores white, each feather with a narrow brown 
margin; eye-stripe obsolete; lesser wing-coverts olive-brown ; median and greater wing-coverts olive- 
brown, with small brownish-buff fan-shaped terminal spots ; primary-coverts olive-brown, with dark 
brown inner webs; tertials olive-brown; secondaries brown, with russet-brown outer webs; primaries 
brown, with rusty-brown outer webs; tail-feathers dark russet-brown, the central and lateral pairs 
rather paler than the rest; ear-coverts white, with brown tips, crossed by an obscure brown band; 
thin and centre of throat nearly white, separated from the cheeks and sides of neck, which are 
mottled like the ear-coverts, by obscure malar stripes; rest of underparts brown, each feather with a 
large centre of dull white, which gradually becomes narrower, until it is lost on the flank-feathers ; 
centre of belly white; under tail-coverts buffish-white with brown margins; axillaries brown with 
; in oné 
