EdiioriaL 
205 
" e^'^s from one nest, and tlircc from anotlicr. all in the same l^abul tree. 
■■ The nest is so flimsy that it takes (|uite a lot of finding. In that 
" tree was also a nest cf the Lar.tje (jrey I'-abbler, containing eggs. There 
•' appeared to be .several Red Turtle Doves' nests in this tree, and they were 
" evidently not deterred by my attentions as 1 took yet another nest on 
" June iQth from this .same tree. 
" This balul tree was evidently p.irtieularly ]iopular with this 
" specie.s — i: was not far from where 1 had seen so many of them — as I 
" found one or two ether nesiS, in different trees, towards the end of June. 
" The p'aee where I noticed theSe birds so numerous was a spot I 
"often \is-leil while out nest-hunting; ])resumal)!y they were not all 
" breeding in the neighLourhood at that time at any rate." 
i.ucknow, ivth Auj^iis!. ipio. <«. O, ALLEN, I.C.S. 
J.B.N.H.S., I'ol. f^agc 84^.— 
IMate:?nal In.stinct ix the Pied Bu.sh Ch,\t (I'raiiiicola 
c: prat a). 
" The jirobability that a bird will desert its nest if disturbed is ofteit 
" mentioned and i.^ a fact well known. I once found 12 nests of Tickell's 
■■ Stajihidia [Stapliidiii striata) within a s]>ace of 20 yards all deserted, and 
■' many with addled cggS therein. The opposite is not so often told. A 
" Pied Bush Chat laid her eggs this year in a rusty old kerosene tin lying 
" cn the ground behind a line of railway carriages occupied by visitors to 
the Kalata, The tin was frequently ])icked up and carried about to 
" show cff the nest. The bird was caught l)v a servant and tied by its 
" leg to his mistress" carriage, and she nursed and fondled it. The 
was brought to show me the nest some days later, the bird flying off the 
" nest at the time. I took a Cuckoo's (Cucithis canorus) egg out of the 
" nest. In s.ii.e cf these frequent attentions the bird S'.ill sat. Two days 
" after I saw it there were two more Cuckoo's eggs in the nest. The 
" small bird has had her reward. She has hatched her brood and been 
" spared the cuckoos. As an instance of strong maternal instinct this 
" may deserve to be recorded.'* ; 
Rangoon, ist .day, ipip. S. M. ROBINSON. 
Nesting H.^iBits of the Brown Rockchat (Cercumcla 
J:isca). 
" The Brown Rockcliat is one of the most familiar birds of the 
" bungalow, and is doubtless often mistaken for tlie Brown-backed Robin, 
" Th.amnobia caiiibaiensis. A favourite nesting site is the ledge that runs 
" round the to]) of the wall inside the bungalow, about 3 inches or so below 
" the level of the ceiling, and corners of shelves in the disused rooms are 
" also frequently used. 
" The nest is always surrounded by, and on the top of, a 
" small heap of stones collected by the l;ird. Bits of broken earthenware 
pots seem to be the favourite material, and some of the pieces are so 
" large th;;t it is a marvel how the bird carries them> One piece I 
