Taking the eggs as a body they are rather regular, somewhat elongated ovals, but broader and again more pointed varieties occur.  The ground-colour varies a great deal:  in a few it is nearly pure white, generally it has a dull greenish or yellowish-brown tinge, in some it is creamy, in some it has a decided pinky tinge.  The markings are large irregular blotches and streaks, almost always most dense at the large end, where they are often more or less confluent, forming an irregular mottled cap, and not unfrequently very thinly set over the rest of the surface of the egg.  In one egg, however, the zone is about the thick end, and there are scarcely any markings elsewhere.  As a rule the markings are of an olive-brown of one shade or another; but when the ground is at all pinkish then the markings are more or less of a reddish brown.  Besides these primary markings, all the eggs exhibit a greater or smaller number of faint lilac or purple spots or blotches, which chiefly occur where the other markings are most dense.  In length they vary from 1.06 to 1.22, and in breadth from 0.8 to 1.0, but the average of 34 eggs is 1.14 by 0.85.

21.  Crypsirhina varians (Lath.). The Black Racket-tailed Magpie.

Crypsirhina varians (Lath.), Hume, Cat. no. 678 quat.

This Magpie is very common in Lower Pegu, where Mr. Oates found many nests.  He says:—­

“This bird appears to lay from the 1st of June to the 15th of July; most of my nests were taken in the latter month.  It selects either one of the outer branches of a very leafy thorny bush, or perhaps more commonly a branch of a bamboo, at heights varying from 5 to 20 feet.

“The nest is composed of fine dead twigs firmly woven together.  The interior is lined with twisted tendrils of convolvulus and other creepers.  The uniformity with which this latter material is used in all nests is remarkable.  The inside diameter is 5 inches, and the depth only 1, thus making the structure very flat.  The exterior dimensions are not so definite, for the twigs and creepers stick out in all directions; but making all allowances, the outside diameter may be put down at 7 or 8 inches, and the total depth at 11/2 inches.

“The eggs are usually three in number, but occasionally only two well incubated eggs may be found.  In a nest from which two fresh eggs had been taken, a third was found a few days later.

“The eggs measure from 1.09 to .88 in length, and from .76 to .68 in breadth.  The average of 22 eggs is .98 by .72.”

In shape the eggs are typically moderately broad, rather regular ovals, but some are distinctly compressed towards the small end, some are slightly pyriform, some even pointed, though in the great majority of cases the egg is pretty obtuse at the small end; the shell is compact and tolerably fine, and has a faint gloss.  The ground-colour seems to be invariably a pale yellowish stone-colour.  The markings vary