346 Mr. E. Newton's Second Visit to Madagascar. 
exposed; in fact, in the same sort of situation as I have often seen 
chosen by the Spotted Flycatcher ( Muscicapa grisola). 
Having stated that I wished to have the bird, the chief of the 
village, who was with me, picked up the tendril of some plant, 
and in a minute had affixed a capital snare over the nest. The 
sun was then hot ; and as it had been raining before, it was pro¬ 
bable the bird would be some time before she returned to the 
nest, so I went home to breakfast. Shortly after, the bird was 
brought to me by the chief's little girl, who had been sent to 
fetch it, alive and with the snare round one foot. Unfortunately, 
as is frequently the habit of the Malagasy, the wretch of a child 
had pulled out all the quill-feathers of the tail and wings, de¬ 
stroying the bird as a specimen. 
The nest was large, in appearance very like a Stonechat's, 
composed of grass, moss, and the down of some plant, and 
lined with finer material of the same nature. The eggs are of 
a very pale bluish green, thickly blotched or mottled with lilac 
and hair-brown, the patches of the latter colour prevailing. 
Long diam. *87 inch, transv. diam. *63 inch. Iris brown, beak 
black, legs dusky grey, soles yellowish. 
27. Motacilla flaviventris, J. Verreaux. 
By no means common; but a pair were here and there to be 
seen distributed over the part of the country I visited. I never 
succeeded in obtaining a nest; but from what I saw of them on 
several occasions, I have no doubt it was not far from the season 
of incubation with them. 
In habits they resemble the European Pied Wagtail more than 
either the Yellow or Grey, and are not always by the water. Iris 
dark brown, beak black, legs lead-colour. 
28. Zoster ops madagascariensis (Linnaeus). 
“ Ramanjerek." 
I believe this species is the one usually seen in the forests; 
but specimens are exceedingly difficult to shoot, and often only 
to be seen by gazing up to the tops of the highest trees, amongst 
the boughs of which they are constantly hopping and climbing, 
and never for a moment at rest. On the 3rd of October I obtained 
