In length the eggs measure 0.7 and 0.71, and in breadth 0.53 to 0.55.

454.  Phyllergates coronatus (Jerd. & Bl.). The Golden-headed Warbler.

Orthotomus coronatus, Jerd. & Bl., Jerd.  B. Ind. ii, p. 168; Hume, Rough Draft N. & E. no. 531.

Dr. Jerdon says:—­“A nest and eggs were brought to me, said to be those of this bird.  The nest was similar to that of the last [O. sutorius], but not so carefully made; the leaves were loosely attached, and with fewer stitches.  The eggs were two in number, white, with rusty spots.”

455.  Horeites brunneifrons, Hodgs. The Rufous-capped Bush-Warbler.

Horeites brunneifrons, Hodgs., Jerd.  B. Ind. ii, p. 163.

The egg is a rather broad oval, a good deal pointed towards the small end; the shell is pretty stout for the size of the egg, and is entirely devoid of gloss.  The ground-colour is a pale drabby stone-colour, and all about the large end is a broad dense zone of dull brownish purple.  The zone consists of a nearly confluent mass of extremely minute ill-defined speckles, and outside the zone similar speckles and tiny spots occur, though nowhere very noticeable unless closely examined.

Two eggs of this species were brought from Native Sikhim, together with one of the parent birds; they are regular ovals, slightly pointed towards the small end.

The ground-colour is dull, glossless, pinky white; the markings consist chiefly of a broad ill-defined zone of dull dark purple; the other parts of the egg are sparingly, but pretty evenly speckled and spotted with pale purple.

The eggs measure 0.66 by 0.49 and 0.64 by 0.48[A].

[Footnote A:  I cannot find any note about the nest of this species amongst Mr. Hume’s papers.  There is nothing beyond the above two notes on the eggs.—­ED.]

458.  Suya crinigera, Hodgs. The Brown Hill-Warbler.

Suya criniger, Hodgs., Jerd.  B. Ind. ii, p. 183; Hume, Rough Draft
N. & E. no. 547.

The Brown Hill-Warbler breeds throughout the Himalayas, at elevations of from 2000 to 6000 feet, at any rate from Sikhim, where it is comparatively rare, to the borders of Afghanistan.

The breeding-season lasts from the beginning of May until the middle of July, but the majority of the birds lay during May.

A nest which I took at Dilloo, in the Kangra Valley, on the 26th May, was situated near the base of a low bush on the side of a steep hill; it was placed in the fork of several twigs near the centre of the bush, about 2 feet from the ground.  It was an excessively flimsy deep cup, about 3 inches in diameter, and 21/2 inches in depth internally.  It was composed of downy seeds of grass held together externally by a few very fine blades of grass, and irregularly and loosely lined with excessively fine grass-stems.

Many other nests subsequently obtained were similar in their materials, the great body of the nest consisting of grass-down, slightly felted together and wound round with slender blades of grass.  The nest, however, is by no means always cup-shaped; it is often covered in above, an aperture being left on one side near the top.