level of the sea. On the northern slope of one
of the mountains on the north side of the Naini Tal lake, is a deep
ravine, through which runs a little stream. The sides of the ravine
are covered with trees--mainly rhododendron, oak, and holly.

On July 1st I went 1000 feet down this ravine to visit the nest of
a spotted forktail (_Henicurus maculatus_) which I had discovered
a week previously. Having duly inspected the blind, naked,
newly-hatched forktails, I went farther down the stream to try to
see something of a pair of red-billed blue magpies (_Urocissa
occipitalis_).

The magpies were not at home that afternoon, and while waiting for
them I caught sight of a bird among the foliage lower down the hill.
At first I took this for a Himalayan whistling-thrush. I followed
its movements through my field-glasses, and saw it alight on part
of the gnarled and twisted trunk of a rhododendron tree. Closer
inspection showed that the bird was a grey-winged ouzel. He had
apparently caught sight of me, for his whole attitude was that of
a suspicious bird with a nest in the vicinity. He remained motionless
for several minutes.

As I watched him a ray of sunlight penetrated the thick foliage and
fell upon the part of the tree where he was standing, and revealed
to me that he was on the edge of a cunningly-placed nest.

The trunk of the rhododendron tree bifurcated about 20 feet above
the ground; one limb grew nearly upright, the other almost
horizontally for a few feet, and then broke up into five branches,
or, rather, gave off four upwardly-directed branches, each as thick
as a man's wrist, and then continued its horizontal direction, greatly
diminished in size.

The four upwardly-directed branches took various directions, each
being considerably twisted, and one actually curling round its
neighbour. At the junction of the various branches lay the nest,
resting on the flat surface, much as a large, shallow pill-box might
rest in the half-closed palm of the hand of a man whose fingers were
rugged and twisted with years of hard toil.

The upper part of the trunk was covered by a thick growth of green
moss, and from it two or three ferns sprang.

As the exterior of the nest consisted entirely of green moss, it
blended perfectly with its surroundings. From below it could not
possibly have been seen. When I caught sight of it I was standing
above it at the top of the ravine, and even then I should probably
have missed seeing