“The nest was constructed of dry grass, moss, and rootlets, and the green spinules of the fir were worked into it, fixing it most firmly in its place in the crown of the pine where it was much forked.”

206.  Lioptila melanoleuca (Bl.). Tickell’s Sibia.

Malacias melanoleucus (Bl.), Hume, cat. no. 429 quart.

Mr. W. Davison was fortunate enough to secure a nest of this Sibia on Muleyit mountain in Tenasserim.  He says:—­“I secured a nest of this species on the 21st of February, containing two spotless pale blue eggs slightly incubated.  The nest, a deep compactly woven cup, was placed about 40 feet from the ground, in the fork of one of the smaller branches of a high tree growing on the edge of a deep ravine.

“The egg-cavity of the nest is lined with fern-roots, fibres and fine grass-stems; outside this is a thick coating of dried bamboo-leaves and coarse grass, and outside this again is a thick irregular coating of green moss, dried leaves, and coarse fibres and fern-roots.

“Externally the nest measures about 5 inches in height, and nearly the same in external diameter at the top.

“The egg-cavity measures 1.7 deep by 2.7 across.

“The eggs, a pale spotless blue, measure 0.95 and 0.98 in length by 0.66 and 0.68 in breadth.”

211.  Actinodura egertoni, Gould. The Rufous Bar-wing.

Actinodura egertoni, Gould, Jerd.  B. Ind. ii, p. 52; Hume, Rough Draft N. & E. no. 427.

There is no figure of the Rufous Bar-wing’s nest or eggs amongst the original drawings of Mr. Hodgson now in my custody, but in the British Museum series there appears to be, since Mr. Blyth remarks:—­“Mr. Hodgson figures the nest of this bird like that of an English Redbreast, with pinkish-white eggs.”

From Sikhim Mr. Gammie writes:—­“On the 27th April I took a nest of this Bar-wing in a large forest at an elevation of about 5000 feet.  It was placed about 20 feet from the ground, in a leafy tree, between several upright shoots, to which it was firmly attached.  It is cup-shaped, mainly composed of dry leaves held together by slender climber-stems, and lined with dark-coloured fibrous roots.  A few strings of green moss were twined round the outside to assist in concealment.  Externally it measures 4.2 inches wide by 4 deep; internally 2.8 wide and 2.4 deep.  It contained but two slightly-set eggs.

“I killed the female off the nest.”

Several nests have been obtained and sent me by Messrs. Gammie and Mandelli.  One was taken on the 4th May by Mr. Mandelli, at Lebong, at an elevation of 5500 feet, which contained three fresh eggs; this was placed on the branches of a small tree, in the midst of dense brushwood, at a height of about 4 feet from the ground.

Another, taken in a similar situation at the same place on the 22nd May, contained two fresh eggs, and was at a height of about 12 feet from the ground.