Two other eggs of this species subsequently obtained were slightly shorter and broader, and measured 0.95 by 0.77, and 0.98 by 0.78.

118.  Pomatorhinus olivaceus, Blyth. The Tenasserim Scimitar Babbler.

Pomatorhinus olivaceus, Blyth, Hume, Cat. no. 403 bis.

Mr. Davison writes:—­“I found a nest of this bird on the morning of the 21st January, 1875, at Pakchan, Tenasserim Province, Burma.  It was placed on the ground at the foot of a small screw pine, growing in thick bamboo-jungle; it was a large globular structure, composed externally of dry bamboo-leaves, and well secreted by the mass of dry bamboo-leaves that surrounded it; it was in fact buried in these, and if I had not seen the bird leave it, it would most undoubtedly have remained undiscovered.  Externally it was about a foot in length by 9 inches in height, but it was impossible to take any accurate measurement, as the nest really had no marked external definition.  Internally was a lining about half an inch thick, composed of thin strips of dry bark, fibres, &c.  The entrance was to one side, circular, and measuring 2.5 inches in diameter; the egg-cavity measured 4 inches deep by about 3 in height.

“In the nest were three pure white ovato-pyriform eggs, but so far incubated that they would probably have hatched off before the day was out.

“The measurements of two were 1.1 and 1.09 in length by 0.75 in breadth.”

Major C.T.  Bingham says:—­“This is the Pomatorhinus of the Thoungyeen valley, being found from the sources to the mouth of that river.  A note recorded two years ago of a nest that I found is given below:—­4th March.—­Having to go over the ground along the southern boundary of the proposed Meplay reserve I had to cut my way through dense bamboo, to go through a long belt of which is hard work.  To make it worse in this case several clumps had been burnt by fire and blown down.  As I was slowly progressing along, bent almost double, out of a little hollow at my feet a bird flew with a suddenness that nearly knocked me down.  I looked into the hollow, and there under the ledge of the sheltering bank was a nest of dry bamboo-leaves lined with strips of the same, shredded fine.  It was cup-shaped, loosely made, about 11/2 inches in diameter, and the same in depth, containing three pure white eggs, perfectly fresh (measured afterwards two proved respectively, 0.98 x 0.71, 0.99 x 0.73 inch); and gun in hand I watched, hiding myself behind a clump of bamboos about thirty yards off.  For an hour I watched, but the bird did not return, so I marked the spot and went on.  Returning back the same way just before dusk, I managed to start her again, and to get a hurried shot; she fell and I secured and recognized her as P. olivaceus.”

The eggs, which seem small for the size of the bird, are rather broad ovals, some fairly regular, some a good deal compressed just towards the small end, which is, however, always obtuse, never pointed; the shell is fine, compact, and thin, smooth and satiny to the touch, but with scarcely any perceptible gloss.  The colour is pure spotless white.