From Sikhim Mr. Gammie writes:—­“I took a nest of this bird out of a large forest, at 5000 feet elevation, on the 15th May.  It is of an oval shape, neatly made of small bamboo-leaves only, devoid of lining, and was fixed vertically between a few upright sprays, within two feet of the ground.  It measures externally 5.25 inches in height by 4 in diameter; internally 1.5 in depth, from lip of egg-cavity, by 1.75 in diameter.  The entrance is also 1.75 across.

“The eggs were four in number; three of them well set and the fourth quite fresh.  The set eggs were altogether pure white, but the fresh egg, unblown, was of a pinky-white colour with a pure white cap; when blown it exactly resembled the others.”

The eggs sent as pertaining to this species by Mr. Gammie are very regular ovals, pure white, and somewhat glossy, but they are so small that I can scarcely credit their really belonging to this species.  Their cubit contents are not half those of the average eggs of S. nigriceps.  They measure 0.63 by 0.48.

172.  Stachyrhidopsis ruficeps, Bl. The Red-headed Babbler.

Stachyris ruficeps, Bl., Jerd.  B. Ind. ii, p. 22; Hume, Rough Draft N. & E. no. 393.

The Red-headed Babbler breeds in Nepal, according to Mr. Hodgson, from April to June, building a large massive cup-shaped nest amongst bamboos, as a rule, at heights of from 7 to 10 feet from the ground.  The nest is wedged in between half a dozen or more creepers and shoots, and is composed almost exclusively of dry bamboo-leaves neatly, but rather loosely, interwoven, and lined also with these leaves.  One which he measured was rather oval in shape, 5.25 inches in diameter one way, by 4 the other, and 3.6 in height.  The leaves used in the rim of the cup were projected a little inwards, so as to make the mouth of the cavity a little smaller than the diameter of this latter within.  The diameter of the mouth was 2 inches, that of the cavity 2.5, and the latter is about 1.5 deep.  Four eggs are laid, a sort of brownish white, speckled and spotted with brown or reddish brown.  The egg figured measures 0.7 by 0.52, and is a moderately broad, regular oval.

Dr. Jerdon says:—­“A nest and eggs, said to be of this species, were brought to me at Darjeeling.  The nest was a loose structure of grass and fibres, and contained two eggs of a greenish-white colour with some rusty spots.”

From Sikhim Mr. Gammie writes:—­“I took two nests of this Babbler in April; one of them at an elevation of 3500 feet, the other at 5000 feet, but it no doubt breeds also both lower and higher.  They are of a neat egg-shape, with entrance at side, and were fixed vertically between a few upright sprays, within three feet of the ground, in open situations near large trees.  Mr. Hodgson evidently did not take the one he describes with his own hands, for he places it horizontally, which gives a height of 3.6 inches only.  The external dimensions are about 5.5 inches in height and 4 in diameter.  Internally the diameter is 2 inches, and the depth, from roof, 3.25.  The entrance is 2 across.  They are composed of dry bamboo-leaves only, put neatly and firmly together, and are lined with a very few grassy fibres.  They each contained four well-set eggs.”