PHOTOGRAVURE 34 
MiSs eon EGGS lOro Prin CEYLON JUNGLEFOWL 
Tue nest is usually placed on the ground at the foot of a tree, and only the leaves and grass already 
present are used as lining. The hen sits very closely, and deserts her eggs only when danger is actually 
upon her. Her colours harmonize perfectly with the hues of the dry vegetation, but the eggs, when 
exposed, are conspicuous. Five or six is the usual number, and they are as small as the eggs of bantams, 
and sometimes slightly spotted. 
A native Vedda, one of the aboriginal Cinghalese, was skilful in tracking down the birds and their 
nests, and found one of my first nests, which the chicks had just left. 
