much
smaller size of the spots and blotches, the latter, indeed, scarcely
existing, while in _L. erythronotus_ they are large and numerous;
there is great difference likewise in the shape of the egg, those of
the present species being less globular or more tapering. The nest was
found in a thick bush about 5 feet from the ground, and was far more
neatly made than that of the foregoing species; it is likewise less
deep internally. It was composed of the dry stalks of 'forget-me-not,'
compactly held together by the intermixture of a quantity of moss
interwoven with fine flax and seed-down, and lined with fine
grass-stalks. Internal diameter 31/2 inches; external 6 inches; depth
11/2 inch, forming a flattish cup, of which the sides are about 11/2 inch
thick. The depth, therefore, is less by 1 inch than in that of the
last-mentioned nest."

Mr. H.R.P. Carter tells me that "at Coonoor, on the Nilghiris, this
species breeds in April and May, placing its nest in large shrubs,
orange-trees, and other low trees which are thick and leafy. The nest
is externally irregular in shape, and is composed of fibres and roots
mixed with cotton-wool and rags; in one nest I found a piece of lace,
6 or 8 inches long; internally it is a deep cup, some 4 inches in
diameter and 2 in depth. The eggs are sometimes three in number,
sometimes four."

Mr. Wait says that "the breeding-season extends from March to July in
the Nilghiris; the nest, cup-shaped and neatly built, is placed in low
trees, shrubs, and bushes, generally thorny ones; the outside of the
nest is chiefly composed of weeds (a white downy species is invariably
present), fibres, and hay, and it is lined with grass and hair; there
is often a good deal of earth built in, with roots and fibres in the
foundation of this nest; four appears to be the usual number of eggs
laid."

Miss Cockburn, from Kotagherry, also on the Nilghiris, tells me that
"the Pale Rufous-backed Shrike builds in the months of February and
March and forms a large nest, the foundation of which is occasionally
laid with large pieces of rags, or (as I have once or twice found)
pieces of carpet. To these they add sticks, moss, and fine grass as
a lining, and lay four eggs, which are white, but have a circle of
ash-coloured streaks and blotches at the thick end, resembling those
on Flycatchers' eggs. They are exceedingly watchful of their nests
while they contain eggs or young, and never go out of sight of the
bush w