Drymoeca jerdoni (_Blyth_), _Hume, cat._ no. 544 ter.
Mr. Davison says:--"The Southern Wren-Warbler breeds chiefly on the
slopes of the Nilgiris about the Badaga cultivation. The nest is
entirely composed of fine grass, and is generally placed about 2 or 3
feet from the ground, either in a clump of long grass or attached to
the branch of a small bush. It is often suspended, domed, and with the
opening near the top. The eggs, generally three, are blue, spotted and
lined with deep red-brown."
From Kotagherry Miss Cockburn tells us that "the Common Wren-Warbler
has no song, but is loud and frequent in its repetition of a few notes
during the breeding-season. Its nest, which is globular, is built in
the same shape as that of _P. socialis_, with the entrance at one end,
on some low bush, but it only uses _one_ material, namely fine long
grass, and does not add any soft lining. The colour of its eggs,
however, is totally different, of a light bluish green, and having
a number of spots and streaks like dark threads carried round
and through the spots, which are mostly at the thick end. The
breeding-season lasts from April to July."
Mr. C.J.W. Taylor, writing from Manzeerabad, Mysore, says:--"Fairly
common throughout the district. Eggs taken on the 15th July, 1882."
Mr. Rhodes W. Morgan, writing from South India, remarks:--"It builds a
neat pendent nest in long grass on the Nilgiris. The nest is composed
entirely of short pieces of grass fitted together, and is very
compact. The eggs are three in number, and are of a blue colour, with
large blotches and hair-like streaks of a dark reddish brown at the
upper end. An egg measured ·69 inch by ·5."
The eggs of this species do not differ materially in size, shape, or
markings from those of _P. inornata_ which are very fully described
above.