Lieut.  H.E.  Barnes, who observed the bird at Chaman in Afghanistan, says:—­“These birds are quite common about here on the plains, but I have not observed them on the hills.  They commence breeding towards the end of March; the nest is globular in shape, not unlike that of Franklinia buchanani, but somewhat larger, built invariably in stunted bushes about two feet from the ground.  It is well lined with feathers and fine grass, the outer portion being composed of fibres and coarse grass.  The normal number of eggs is six.  I have found less, but never more, and whenever a lesser number has been taken they have always proved to be fresh laid.

“The eggs are oval in shape, white, with a pinkish tinge when fresh, very minutely spotted and speckled with light red, most densely at the larger end.  The average of twelve eggs is 0.62 by 0.43.”

The eggs are moderately broad and regular ovals, usually somewhat compressed towards one end, but occasionally exhibiting no trace of this.  The shell is very fine and delicate, but, as a rule, entirely devoid of gloss.  The ground-colour varies from pure to pinky white.  The markings are always minute, but in some they are comparatively much bolder and larger than in others, and they vary in colour from reddish pink to a comparatively bright red.  In many eggs the markings are much more dense towards the large end, where they form, or exhibit a strong tendency to form, an irregular, more or less confluent zone; and wherever the markings are dense there a certain number of tiny pale purple or lilac spots or clouds will be found intermingled with and underlying the red markings.  Some eggs show none of these spots and exhibit no tendency to form a zone, being pretty uniformly speckled and spotted all over.  Some are not very unlike eggs of the Grasshopper and Dartford Warblers; others, again, are almost counterparts of the eggs of Franklinia buchanani.

In length the eggs vary from 0.6 to 0.68, and in breadth from 0.46 to 0.51.

446.  Neomis flavolivaceus, Hodgs.[A] The Aberrant Warbler.

[Footnote A:  I have transferred Hodgson’s notes under this title in the ‘Rough Draft’ to Horornis fortipes, to which bird Hodgson’s account of the nidification undoubtedly relates, his type-birds No. 900 being Neornis assimilis.—­ED.]

Neornis flavolivacea, Hodgs., Jerd.  B. Ind. ii, p. 188.

Mr. W. Theobald makes the following remarks on the breeding of this bird at Darjeeling:—­“Lays in the second week in July.  Eggs three in number, blunt, ovato-pyriform.  Size 0.69 by 0.55.  Colour deep dull claret-red, with a darker band at broad end.  Nest, a deep cup, outside of bamboo-leaves, inside fine vegetable fibres, lined with feathers.”