together, without any foundation of mud, but with a thick lining of black or brown fibrous roots.
The number of eggs in one cáse was three, pale greenish white, blotched, splashed, streaked and
spotted with brownish red, principally at the larger end. The underlying markings are pale dull
purple. They vary in length from T06 to T05 inch, and in breadth from 0'82 to 0T9 inch (Oates’s
ed. Hume’s ‘ Nests and Eggs of Indian Birds,’ ii. p. 109).
Mr. Stuart. Baker, in his account of the nesting of birds in North Cachar, writes concerning the
present species:—“ By no means common, but found scattered throughout the district in the cold
weather; in the hot weather and rains it is confined chiefly to the high ranges of the east, where it
breeds in June and July. The first nest I ever took of this bird was rather abnormal in its
construction, so I give the description of it which appeared at the. time in the | Asian.’
“ The first nest I have ever seen of this bird was found on the 18th of June, 1890, and was
taken from a thick tangle of can e-bush and creepers, in which it was placed at a height of some
six feet from the ground. My attention was attracted to the bush in question by the bird flying, out,
and, on shooting it, I found it to be of this species. The nest was placed well inside the bush, and
it was not until I had cut away a considerable amount of leaves and branches that I could get at it.
It was a rather massive, shallow cup, about 4 inches in internal diameter by rather more than 1 inch
in depth; the exterior materials were coarse fern-roots, grass, twigs, and dry stalks of plants* all
intertwined with one another, and with here and there a dead leaf fastened in. The lining was of
grass and fine fibres and was fairly thick.
“ The eggs, which were three in number, are quite like the eggs of 6r. citrina in appearance ;
the ground-colour is a pale greeny grey, profusely speckled with a reddish-brown, the markings
coalescing to the larger end and gradually decreasing towards the smaller.
“ They were hard-set, and the shell was very fragile, otherwise much as in G. citrina.
“ In size they are larger than the average egg of that bird, measuring l*09.X-0‘8, T 0 8 x 0 '7 6 ,
and T 0 8 x 0 ‘75. The next nest taken was found on the 12th June, 1892. In shape, position, &c.,
it was just the same as that described above, merely being a shade smaller; the material.used;
however, was three-quarters moss mixed with a few twigs and roots, and lined with moss and fem-
roots. , This nest contained three eggs, of the same character as those already described, but having a
pale yellow-buff ground-colour, and the blotches far redder and somewhat brighter. One egg was
smashed before being measured, the other two were lT 4 xO -82 and IT x
“ Several nests taken in July this year (1893) were made entirely of living moss outwardly, then
moss both dead and alive mixed with fern- and moss-roots, and with the lining of fine moss and fern-
roots.
“ In a few nests there were a certain number of fine bamboo-roots used next the lin ing; in one
or two nests there were a few twigs, and in one three leaves and a bamboo-spathe. In size these nests
average about 5'75 across and 2‘25 deep, the inner cup being about 3*6 x l ' 5 . ”
The adult male and female may be described as follows :—General colour of the upper parts
olive-brown, slightly darker on the crown and nape ; lores white, each feather with a narrow brown
margin; eye-stripe obsolete; lesser wing-coverts olive-brown; median and greater wing-coverts olive-
brown, with small brownish-buff fan-shaped terminal spots; primary-coverts olive-brown, with dark
brown inner webs; tertials olive-brown; secondaries brown, with russet-brown outer webs; primaries
brown, with rusty-brown outer webs; tail-feathers dark russet-brown, the central and lateral pairs
rather paler than the rest; ear-coverts white, with brown tips, crossed by an obscure brown band;
thin and centre of throat nearly white, separated from the cheeks and sides of neck, which are
mottled like the ear-coverts, by obscure malar stripes; rest of underparts brown, each feather with a
large centre of dull white, which gradually becomes narrower, until it is lost on the flank-feathers ;
centre of belly white; under tail-coverts buffish-white with brown margins; axillaries brown with
buffy-white bases; lower primary-eoverts brown; lower secondary-coverts bnffy white with brown
bases.G
eocichline markings on inner webs of quills, msty-buff. —
Bill nearly black; second primary intermediate in length between the sixth and seventh; legs,
f e e t , a n d c l a w s varying from pale flesh-colour to slaty-brown*; outer tail-feathers 0'25 inch shorter
than the longest.
Length of wing 4'9 to 5-0 inches, tail 2:4 to 2-8 inches,, culmen 1'35 to 1-45 inch, tarsus 1-1 to
1-2 inch; bastard-primary projecting far beyond the primary-coverts; its exposed portion measuring
1*05 inch.
Young in first plumage are browner than the adults and have mesial streaks or fan-shaped spots
of orange-buff on the feathers of the back and wing-coverts:; the breast and sides of body are
ochreous-buff, mottled with rather broad black margins to the feathers, much more distinct on the
sides of the chest. > ,
The figure on the Plate to. the right of that of 6 . andromeda represents a life-sized female in my
Icblleetion; it was shot by Major B. G. Wardlaw-Kamsay at K a ^ - n ^ tO O feet: above sea-level, on
the 16th of March, 1874.
The species has not been figured before.
* There seems to be some variation in the colour of the legs of this species. The example figured is endorsed by
Major Wardlaw-Ramsay on the back of the label “ legs slaty brown with a pinkish’ tinge,” agreeing fairly well with another
statement “ the legs and feet varied from dark brown to pale bluish-brown” (Hume & Davison, Stray Feathers, vi. p. 246), but
quite at variance with the. notes of a third authority, “legs, feet, and daws dusky white ” (Bingham, Stray Feathers, ix.
p. 178), which is corroborated by a fourth, “ legs and feet very pale brownish fleshy ” (Hume, Stray Feathers, xi. p. 124).