Alcippe nipalensis (_Hodgs.), Jerd. B. Ind._ ii, p. 18; _Hume, Rough
Draft N. & E._ no. 388.
The Nepal Babbler, according to Mr. Hodgson's notes, breeds from March
to May, building a deep, massive, cup-shaped nest, firmly fastened
between two or three upright shoots, and laying three or four eggs,
which are figured as measuring 0·7 by 0·55. He has the following
note:--
"_Valley, April 1st_.--A pair and nest. Nest is round, 4 inches deep
on the outside and 2 inches within, and the same wide, being of the
usual soup-basin shape and open at the top, made of dry leaves bound
together with hair-like grass-fibres and moss-roots, which also form
the lining, further compacted by spiders' webs, which, being also
twisted round three adjacent twigs, form the suspenders of the nest,
the bottom of which does not rest upon anything; attached to a low
bush 1½ foot from the ground. The nest contained three eggs of a
pinkish-white ground thickly spotted with chestnut, the spots being
almost entirely confluent at the large end."
Dr. Jerdon says:--"I had the nest and eggs brought me by the Lepchas.
The nest was loosely made with grass and bamboo-leaves, and the eggs
were white with a few reddish-brown spots."
A nest of this species was found near Darjeeling in July, at an
elevation of between 3000 and 4000 feet. It was situated in a small
bush, in low brushwood, and placed only about 2 feet from the ground.
The nest is a compactly made and moderately deep cup. The exterior
portion of the nest is composed of bamboo-leaves, more or less held in
their places by fine horsehair-like black roots, with which also the
cavity is very thickly and neatly lined. Exteriorly the nest is about
3·75 inches in diameter, and nearly 3 in height. The cavity is 2·25 in
diameter and 1·6 in depth.
The nest contained three nearly fresh eggs. The eggs are moderately
elongated ovals, very regular and slightly pointed towards the small
end. The shell is fine and exhibits a slight gloss. The ground-colour
is white or pinkish white, and they are _very_ minutely speckled all
over with purplish red. The specklings exhibit a decided tendency to
form a more or less perfect, and more or less confluent, cap or zone
at the large end.
Two of the eggs measure 0·72 and 0·71 in length, and 0·54 and 0·52 in
breadth.
From Sikhim, Mr. Gammie writes:--"I have only found this Babbler
breeding in May at elevations about 5000 feet, but it doubtless breeds
also at much lower elevations, probably down to 2000 feet. The nests
are placed within 2 or 3 feet of the ground, between several
slender upright shoots, to which they are firmly attached. They are
exceedingly neat and compact-built cups, measuring externally about 4
inches across by 2·75 deep, internally 2·15 wide by 1·6 deep. They are
composed of dry bamboo-leaves held together by a little grass and very
fine, hair-like fern-roots. The egg-cavity is lined with fern-roots.
"The eggs are three or four in number."
Numerous nests of this species kindly sent me by Messrs. Gammie,
Mandelli, and others, taken during the months of May and June in
British and Native Sikhim, at elevations of from 3000 to 5500 feet,
were all of the same type and placed in the same situations, namely
amongst low scrub and brushwood, at heights of from 18 inches to 3
feet from the ground. The interior and, in fact, the main body of
the nests appear to be in all cases chiefly composed of fine black
hair-like roots, with which, in some cases, especially about the
upper margin, a little fine grass is intermingled. The cavities are
generally much about the same size, say ~2 inches in diameter by 1·25
in depth: but the size of the nests as a whole varies very much. The
nest is always coated exteriorly with dry leaves of trees and ferns,
broad blades of grass, and the like, fixed together sometimes by mere
pressure, but generally here and there held together by fine fibrous
roots, and this coating varies so much that one nest before me
measures 5·5 in external diameter, and another barely 4, the external
covering of fern-leaves, flags, and dry and dead leaves being very
abundant in the former, while in the other the covering consists
entirely of broad dry blades of grass very neatly laid together. Two,
three, and four fresh eggs were found in these several nests, but in
no case were more than four eggs found.
Two nests taken by Mr. Gammie contained three and two fresh eggs
respectively. The eggs had a delicate pink ground, and were richly
blotched, in one egg exclusively, in the others chiefly about the
larger end, with chestnut, or almost maroon-red, here and there almost
deepening in spots to black, and elsewhere paling off into a rufous
haze. The markings are confluent about the large end, and there in
places intermingled with a purplish tinge. The other eggs had a
china-white ground, with more gloss than the specimens previously
described, with numerous small, blackish brownish-red spots and
specks, almost exclusively confined to the large end, where they are
more or less enveloped in a pinky-red nimbus.
These eggs varied from 0·75 to 0·79 in length, and from 0·56 to 0·6 in
breadth.
Other eggs, again, with the same pinky-white ground are thickly but
minutely freckled and speckled with rather pale brownish red, most
thickly towards and about the large end, where they become confluent
in patches, and where tiny purple clouds and spots are dimly
traceable.