N£STS ANB EGGS OF COMMON BIIWS OF THE U. P. 
1071 
well as another, but a certain amount of attention is paid to concealment, with 
the result that trees with large leaves, and heavy foliage are specially favoured. 
The nests are rarely lower than 15 feet from the ground, and arc almost invari- 
ably placed in the fork of some high branch. As a rule they are of course twigs 
roughly put together, more or less circular in shape, the external measurement 
being about 7 inches across, and in a carefully constructed nest the egg cavity 
would be about 5 inches in diameter, and from 3 to 4 inches in depth. As a rule 
however, the egg cavity is shallow, and is lined with various kinds of grass-roots, 
and vegetable fibres. 
The eggs are of two distinct types, for which I can offer no explanation, apart 
from the suggestion that this peculiarity mightbe influenced by the age of the bird. 
The period of nidification does not seem to bear any significance whatsoever, 
for after taking careful note of the matter I have found that throughout the period 
of nidification the two types occur with comparative regularity ; though so far 
as my experience goes, I have found the salmon-coloured type to be more nume- 
rous ; a fact upon which I have based my suggestion of age. On the other hand 
I have found the two types as often in exposed and badly constructed nests as 
in concealed and well constracted ones, so that the theory of protective coloration 
would seem not to apply. 
Both birds share in building the nest, incubating the eggs, and rearing the 
young ; and are very intolerant of the presence of other species on or near their 
family tree ; another trait which renders the nest easy of location. 
In shape the eggs are typically elongated ovals, a good deal pointed towards 
one end, but broad ovals and globular specimens are common. The bread ovals 
particularly so. The variation as regards character and colouring is pretty 
wide but the eggs of the one clutch usually bear a close resemblence to each 
other. Of the two prominent types the ground-colour of one varies from a pale 
greenish-white to pale salmon, with markings of dark salmon and shades of pur- 
ple more numerous towards the large end. The ground-colour of the other is 
greyish or greenish-white, with markings which vary between dark grey and light 
browTi shades, sometimes profusely but usually thinly, scattered over the eggs 
more so towards the large end. Between these two types intermediate varieties 
varying in tone ajid character occur not infrequently ; some specimens greatly 
resembling those of Lanius lahiora. The size of a normal specimen would be 
about 1'17 by O' 86 inch. ' 
Argya earlii (104) . . . . The Striated Babbler. 
Local name . . . . . . ‘ Chilchil. 
Anglo-Indiam name . . . . Unknown. 
This species can hardly be described as being common in the Province. So 
far as my experience goes I have only seen it on a few occasions when touring 
in November over some of the grass-covered plateaux of the Vindhyas, at a point 
where they pass through the southern portion of the Mirzapur district, comprising 
part of the Benares division. Whenever I came across them they were in small 
parties numbering from six to a dozen. But whether they remain there to breed, 
or are purely vrinter visitors is what I was unable to ascertain. The natives of 
those parts are decidedly backward and unobservant, and were not able to sup- 
ply me with any reliable information. In fact I very much doubt whether 
they were capable of differentiating between this species and Argya caudata 
which was found to be extremely common. Consequently any preferred infor- 
mation was not to be relied on. 
According to Hume, Colonel Marshall foimd this sx>ecies breeding in the Saha- 
ranpur district of the U, P. during the month of March and April, so that it would 
appear to keep to the sub-mountain tracts during the breeding season, and mig- 
rate further towards the plains during the winter. The nest is described as a 
deep cup-shaped structure, rather neatly made of grass without lining, and woven 
in with the stems if in a clump of grass, or firmly fixed in a fork if in a bush or 
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