CATALOGUE. 
319 
woven strongly together, thickly lined with horse-hair, and supported 
between two leaves on a twig of the amaltus tree {Cassia jisiuld). 
These two leaves were first placed longitudinally upon each other, 
and stitched in that position from the points to rather more than 
half way up the sides with a strong thread spun from the raw cotton 
by the bird, leaving the entrance to the nest at the upper end, 
between the stalks of the leaves, at the point where they join the 
branch of the tree. Both of these leaves were, of course, green and 
living ; subsequently, however, they were blown down by a high 
wind, and being now withered, the nest appears enclosed between 
two dead leaves. 
" The second specimen was at the end of a branch of the Bhela 
(Semecarpus anacardium) , about two feet from the ground, and con- 
structed of the same materials as the above, viz., raw cotton, cotton 
threads, also a little flax, and lined with horse -hair alone ; the leaves 
were stitched together partly with thread prepared by the bird, and 
partly with spun thread, and so well concealed was it, that even after 
Captain Hearsey had discovered it (by accident), he could scarcely 
find it again to show to me. In it were found an egg and two 
young birds nearly fledged ; these I placed with the nest in a trap 
cage, and thus succeeded in capturing both of the old birds. 
" The young birds are similar in colour to the adults, except that 
they are paler, and the top of the head cinereous with a faint rufous 
tinge ; bill yellowish ; the eggs are white, spotted, chiefly at the 
larger end, with tawny spots. 
" They are very lively little birds, exhibiting a good deal of the 
manner of the creeper tribe {Cinnyris), carefully searching beneath 
every leaf and into every chink and hole for insects, which they 
seize with great rapidity, flirting their tails up and down, and 
uttering a sharp reiterated cry." 
In another notice, the same author states : " Similar nests and 
eggs agreeing in every respect as those described above have since 
fallen under my observation ; in all of these, the nest was composed 
of cotton, wool, vegetable fibre, and horse-hair, formed in the shape 
of a deep cup or purse, enclosed between two long leaves, the edges 
of which were sewed to the sides of the nest, in a manner to support 
it, by threads spun by the bird; the eggs are three to four, of a 
white colour, sprinkled with small specks, chiefly at the larger end, 
of rufous or tawny." 
Dr. Nicholson gives the following notice : " I have found its 
singularly sewn nest containing eggs or young at all seasons of the 
