ey are very gracefully elongated ovals; the shell is very fine and
smooth, but has only a rather faint gloss. The ground-colour is a
delicate pale sea-green or greenish blue, and the eggs are more or
less profusely spotted or splashed with purplish, or, in some spots,
chocolate-brown and a very pale purple, which looks more like the
stain that might be supposed to be left by one of the more decided
coloured markings that had been partially washed out than anything
else.

The eggs measure 1.37 by 0.9 and 1.35 by 0.87.

Mr. J. Darling, junior, writes:--"The Southern Grackle breeds in the
S. Wynaad rather plentifully, and I have had numbers of tame ones
brought up from the nest, but have never succeeded in getting a
perfect egg owing to my having found all the nests in very hard places
to get at.

"I cut down a tree containing a nest and broke all the eggs, which
must have been very pretty--blue ground, very regularly marked
with purplish-brown spots. The nest was composed of sticks, twigs,
feathers, and some snake-skin. I have found them in March, April,
September, and October. I hope this year to get a number of eggs, as
Culputty is a very good place for them."

Mr. C J.W. Taylor notes from Manzeerabad in Mysore:--

"Common up in the wooded portions of the district. Breeding in April
and May."

Mr. T. Fulton Bourdillon, speaking of this Grackle in Travancore,
says:--"This bird lays one or two light blue eggs beautifully blotched
with purple in the holes of trees. It does not like heavy jungle,
but after a clearing has been felled and burnt it is sure to appear.
During the fine weather it is very abundant on the hills, descending
to the low country at the foot when the rains have fairly set in. The
nest scarcely deserves the name, being only a few dead leaves or some
powdered wood at the bottom of the hole, and there about the end of
March the egg or eggs are laid. The young birds, which can be taught
to speak and become very tame, are often taken by the natives, as they
can sell them in the low country. I have obtained on the following
dates eggs and young birds:--

"March 29th. One egg slightly set.
April 20th. Two young birds.
April 22nd. " "
April 25th. Two eggs slightly set.
May 2nd. One young bird.

"I also had three eggs, slightly set, brought me on May 21. They are
rather smaller and a deeper blue than the ones obtained before, being
1.25 x 1, 1.19 x .95, 1.21 x .97 inch. They were al