Stachyris nigriceps, _Hodgs., Jerd. B. Ind._ ii. p, 21; _Hume. Rough
Draft N. & E._ no. 391.
I have never taken a nest of this species, the Black-throated Babbler,
but Mr. Gammie, a careful observer, in whose neighbourhood (Rungbee,
near Darjeeling) this bird is very abundant, has taken many nests, two
of which he has sent me, with many eggs.
One nest, found at Rishap, on the 14th May, at an elevation of about
4000 feet, contained four nearly fresh eggs. It was a very loose
structure, a shallow cup of about 3½ inches in diameter, composed of
fine grass-stems without any lining, and coated externally with broad
coarse grass-blades.
Another nest taken low down in the valley, at about an elevation of
2000 feet, on the 17th June, contained three fresh eggs. It was placed
in a bank at the foot of a shrub. Like the previous one, it was a
loose but rather deeper cup, interiorly composed of moderately fine
grass, exteriorly of dead leaves. The egg-cavity measured about 2
inches in diameter, and 1½ inch in depth. _In situ_, both probably
were more or less domed, the cups more or less overhung by a hood or
canopy.
Mr. Gammie remarks:--"I have seen numerous nests of this species in
former years, and have found two this season, but have never seen
eggs with 'faint darker spots' as mentioned by Jerdon. Hodgson's
description is quite correct. The eggs are a 'pale fawn-colour'
_before they are blown_, the shells being so translucent that the yolk
shows through partially. The shell is pure white in itself. The cavity
of the cup-shaped part of one nest beside me is 2 inches deep by 2
inches wide; outer dimensions 5¾ inches deep (from top of hood) by 4
inches wide across the face of entrance. It is loosely though neatly
made of bamboo-leaves and fern, lined with dry grass. The bird breeds
in May and June, and lays four or five eggs."
Mr. Eugene Gates tells us that he "procured only one specimen of this
bird, and that was in the evergreen forests of the Pegu Hills. I shot
it off the nest on the 29th April. The nest was on a bank of a nullah
well concealed among dead leaves, about 2 feet above the bottom of
the bank. The nest is domed, about 7 inches in height and 5 inches in
diameter externally, with the entrance at the side near the top. The
outside is a mass of bamboo-leaves very loose, being in no way bound
together; each leaf is curled to the shape of the nest. The inside, a
thin lining only of vegetable fibres. There were three eggs, just on
the point of hatching; colour, pure white."
The Black-throated Babbler breeds, according to Mr. Hodgson, in April
and May, and builds a large deep cup-shaped nest, either upon the
ground in the midst of grass, or at a short distance above the
ground between five or six thin twigs; a nest which he measured was
externally 4·5 inches in diameter and 3·5 in height, while the cavity
was 2·5 in diameter and 2 in depth. The nest is composed of dry
bamboo- and other leaves wound together with grass and moss-roots, and
lined with these, and is a very firm compact structure, considering
the materials. They lay four or five eggs, which are figured as
very regular rather broad ovals, of a nearly uniform, very pale
_café-au-lait_ colour (these were the _unblown_ eggs), measuring about
0·75 by 0·58.
Dr. Jerdon remarks:--"A nest and eggs were brought to me at
Darjeeling, and said to be of this species. The nest was rather large,
very loosely made of bamboo-leaves and fibres, and the eggs were of a
pale salmon-colour, with some faint darker spots."
There is no doubt that these must have been the eggs of some other
species.
Major C.T. Bingham tells us:--"This little bird, though not at all
common, breeds in the Sinzaway Reserve, in Tenasserim. I took five
hard-set eggs, placed in a beautiful little domed nest, at the foot of
a clump of bamboos, on the bank of a dry choung or nullah. This was on
the 20th March. The nest was composed exteriorly of dry bamboo-leaves,
and interiorly of fine grass-roots, the entrance being on one side. I
shot the female as she crept off the nest."
It does not seem that in the Himalayas this species domes its nest.
Numerous other nests that have been sent me from Sikhim, taken in May,
June, and July, were all of the same type--shallow or deeper cups
loosely put together, exteriorly composed of coarse blades of grass,
dead leaves, bamboo-spathes and the like, held together with a little
vegetable fibre or fibrous roots, and interiorly of fine grass
generally more or less mingled with blackish roots, which in some
nests greatly predominate over the grass.
The eggs are broad ovals, somewhat compressed towards one end, in some
cases slightly pyriform. They are pure white, spotless, and fairly
glossy.
They vary from 0·68 to 0·84 in length, and from 0·55 to 0·61 in
breadth, but the average of thirty-four eggs is 0·76 by somewhat over
0·58.