(14 miles from
Darjeeling), at an elevation of about 3400 feet. The nest was in the
hollow of a tree, and was a shallow pad of fine twigs, with long
strips of bark intermingled in the base of the structure, and thinly
lined with very fine grass-stems. The nest was about 4 inches in
diameter and less than 11/2 inch in height exteriorly, and interiorly
the depression was perhaps half an inch deep. It contained four
hard-set eggs."

This year he writes to me:--"The Grey-headed Myna breeds about
Mongphoo, laying in May and June. I have taken several nests now, and
I found that they prefer cleared tracts where only a few trees have
been left standing here and there, especially on low but breezy
ridges, at elevations of from 2500 to 4000 feet. They always nest in
natural holes of trees both dead and living, and at any height from 20
to 50 feet from the ground. The nest is shallow, principally composed
of twigs put roughly together in the bottom of the hole. They lay four
or five eggs.

"The Grey-headed Myna is not a winter resident in the hills. It
arrives in early spring and leaves in autumn. It is very abundant on
the outer ranges of the Teesta Valley, and is generally found in those
places frequented by _Artamus fuscus_. It feeds about equally on trees
and on the ground, and a flock of 40 or 50 feeding on the ground in
the early morning is no unusual sight."

Mr. J.R. Cripps, writing from Fureedpore, Eastern Bengal, says:--"Very
common from the end of April to October, after which a few birds may
be seen at times. I cannot call to mind ever having seen these birds
descend to the ground. They must nest here, though I failed to find
one. In front of my verandah was a large _Poinciana regia_, in the
trunk of which, and at about seven feet from the ground, was an old
nest-hole of _Xantholaema_ which a pair of these birds widened out.
During all May and June I watched these birds pecking away at the
rotten wood and throwing the bits out. They generally used to engage
in this work during the heat of the day; and, although I several times
searched the hole, no eggs were found; the pair were not pecking at
the decayed wood for insects, for I watched them through a glass. Had
I remained another month at the factory most likely they would have
laid during that time; it was on this account their lives were spared.
This species associates with its congeners on the peepul trees when
they are in fruit, which they eat greedily."

S