irregular, more or less imperfect caps or zones. A few of the eggs are
slightly glossy.

Of the salmon-pink type some specimens in their coloration resemble
eggs of _Dicrurus longicaudatus_ and some of our Goatsuckers, while of
those with the greenish-white ground-colour some strongly recall the
eggs of _Lanius lahtora_.

In length the eggs vary from 1·0 to 1·3, and in breadth from 0·78 to
0·95; but the average of forty-four eggs is 1·17 by 0·87.


17. Dendrocitta leucogastra, Gould. _The Southern Tree-pie_.

Dendrocitta leucogastra, _Gould, Jerd. B. Ind._ ii, p. 317; _Hume,
Rough Draft N. & E._ no. 678.

From Travancore Mr. Bourdillon has kindly sent me an egg and the
following note on the nidification of the Southern Tree-pie:--

"Three eggs, very hard-set, of an ashy-white colour, marked with ashy
and greenish-brown blotches, 1·12 long and 0·87 broad, were taken on
9th March, 1873, from a nest in a bush 8 or 10 feet from the ground.
The nest of twigs was built after the style of the English Magpie's
nest, minus the dome. It consisted of a large platform 6 inches deep
and 8 or 10 inches broad, supporting a nest 1½ inch deep and 3½ inches
broad. The bird is not at all uncommon on the Assamboo Hills between
the elevations of 1500 and 3000 feet above the sea, seeming to prefer
the smaller jungle and more open parts of the heavy forest."