The eggs of this species much resemble those of the European Magpie, but are considerably smaller.  They are broad, rather perfect ovals, somewhat elongated and pointed in many specimens.  They exhibit but little gloss.  The ground-colour varies much, but in all the examples that I possess, which I owe to Captain Hutton’s kindness, it is either of a yellowish-cream, pale cafe au lait or buff colour, or pale dull greenish.  The ground is profusely blotched, spotted, and streaked (the general character of the markings being striations parallel to the major axis), with various shades of reddish and yellowish, brown and pale inky purple.  The markings vary much in intensity as well as in frequency, some being so closely set as to hide the greater part of the ground-colour; but in the majority of the eggs they are more or less confluent at the large end, where they form a comparatively dark, irregular blotchy zone.

The eggs vary from 1.25 to 1.4 in length, and from 0.89 to 0.96 in breadth; but the average of 11 eggs is 1.33 by 0.93.

Major Bingham, referring to the Burmese Magpie, which has been separated under by the name of U. magnirostris, says:—­

“This species I have only found common in the Thoungyeen Valley.  Elsewhere it seemed to me scarce.  Below I give a note about its breeding.

“I have found three nests of this handsome Magpie—­two on the bank of the Meplay choung on the 14th April, 1879, and 5th March, 1880, respectively, and one near Meeawuddy on the Thoungyeen river on the 19th March, 1880.

“The first contained three, the second four, and the third two eggs.

“These are all of the same type, dead white, with pale claret-coloured clashes and spots rather washed-out looking, and lying chiefly at the large end.  One egg has the spots thicker at the small end.  They are moderately broad ovals, and vary from 1.19 to 1.35 in length, and from 0.93 to 1.08 in breadth.

“The nests were all alike, thick solid structures of twigs and branches, lined with finer twigs about 8 or 9 inches in diameter, and placed invariably at the top of tall straight saplings of teak, pynkado (Xylia dolabriformis), and other trees at a height of about 15 feet from the ground.”

All the eggs of the Burmese bird that I have seen, nine taken by Major Bingham, were of one and the same type.  The eggs broad ovals, in most cases pointed towards the small end.  The shell fine, but as a rule with scarcely any perceptible gloss.  The ground-colour a delicate creamy white.  The markings moderate-sized blotches, spots, streaks, and specks, as a rule comparatively dense about one, generally the large, end, where only as a rule any at all considerable sized blotches occur, elsewhere more or less sparsely set, and generally of a speckly character.  The markings are of two colours:  brown, varying in shade in different eggs, olive-yellowish, chocolate, and a grey, equally varying in different eggs from pale purple to pale sepia.  None of my eggs of the Himalayan bird (I have unfortunately but few of these) correspond at all closely with these.