According to Mr. Hodgson’s notes the Blue-winged Laughing-Thrush breeds in May and June in the central region of Nepal in forests, at elevations of from 2000 to 6000 feet.  The nest is placed in a fork of a branch on some small tree, and is a large mass of dry leaves and coarse dry grass, 7 or 8 inches in diameter externally, mortar-shaped, the cavity about 2.5 deep, and lined with hair-like fibres.  The nest, though composed of loose materials, is very firm and compact.  They lay four or five eggs, unspotted, verditer-blue, one of which is figured as a broad regular oval, only slightly compressed towards one end, measuring 1.2 by 0.9.

One of the eggs taken by Mr. Gammie (the others were unfortunately broken) is a long, almost cylindrical, oval, very obtuse at both ends and slightly compressed towards the smaller end, so that the egg has a pyriform tendency.  It measures 1.25 by 0.82.  The colour is an excessively pale greenish blue, precisely the same as that of the eggs of Sturnia malabarica; but then this present egg was nearly ready to hatch off when taken, and the fresh eggs are somewhat deeper coloured.

Subsequent to his letter above quoted, Mr. Gammie on the 10th June found a second nest of this species similar to the first, containing three nearly fresh eggs.  These are similar in shape to that above described, but in colour are a beautiful clear verditer-blue, altogether a much brighter and richer tint than that of the first.  They measure 1.2 and 1.25 by 0.88.

One nest was taken by Mr. Gammie above Mongphoo at an elevation of about 4500 feet on the 30th of April.  It was placed in a bush at a height of about 6 feet from the ground, and contained three fresh eggs.  It was a loosely put together, massive cup, some 7 inches in diameter and 4 in height externally.  It was composed mainly of fine twigs, creeper-stems, and grass, with a few bamboo-leaves intermingled, and the cavity was carefully lined with bamboo-leaves, and then within that thinly with black fibrous roots; the cavity measured 3.7 inches in diameter and 2.3 in depth.

The eggs of this species, of which I have now received many, appear to be typically somewhat elongated ovals, and not unfrequently they are more or less pyriform or even cylindrical.  As a rule, they are fairly glossy, a bright pale, somewhat greenish blue, quite spotless, and varying a little in tint.  In length they appear to vary from 1.11 to 1.25, and in breadth from 0.82 to 0.91; but the average of eleven eggs is 1.2 by 0.87.

93.  Trochalopterum cachinnans (Jerd.). The Nilghiri Laughing-Thrush.

Trochalopteron cachinnans (Jerd.), Jerd.  B. Ind. ii, p. 48; Hume, Rough Draft N. & E. no. 423.

The Nilghiri Laughing-Thrush breeds, according to my many informants, throughout the more elevated portions of the mountains from which it derives its trivial name, from February to the beginning of June.