Pratincola caprata (Linn.).
The Common Pied Bush - Chat.
Pratincola caprata (L.), Jerd. B. Ind. ii, p. 123; Hume, Rough Draft N. & E. no. 481.
The Common Pied Bush - Chat breeds throughout the plains country of the continent of India and Burma and in the Himalayas, and ranges running southwards from these up to elevations of from 4000 to 8000 * feet, according to latitude.
The breeding - season is from March to June, and eggs may be found everywhere during this period; but for all that the majority lay in the plains in March and April and in the hills in May.
In the plains perhaps the most favourite site for the nest is in a hole some little way down the side of a well; but any hole almost in the ground will, if sheltered, serve their purpose, and at times, but rarely, they will build in a dense bush or tuft of grass, but still even then on or close to the ground.
The nest as a rule is a shallow, somewhat saucer - shaped pad, composed of soft grass, fine roots, and lined with the same, hairs, or other soft material.
I have found them composed entirely of human hair and sheep's wool, fitted together without any attempt at rounding, and I have once or twice taken neat circular nests closely woven of very fine grass and carefully lined with horsehair.
Four is the full complement of eggs; but I have continually found only three more or less incubated ones in a nest, and five are recorded by more than one of my correspondents.
Mr. F. R. Blewitt says : -" This Stone - Chat is somewhat common in the Sanger and Nerbudda and Hoshungabad districts. It is also to be met with in the more open country the whole way from Saugor to Sumbulpoor. I have repeatedly secured its eggs. The nests were always on the ground, of very simple construction, composed of grass - roots externally, and lined with fine grass or a little hair."
Captain Hutton tells us that " this little species, which is by no means uncommon in the hills even up to 8000 feet, is also very abundant in the warmer climate of the Dhoon, where it breeds in May and June. On the first of the latter month I obtained a nest containing five eggs of a pale greenish white, thickly spotted with rufous, especially at the larger end, where they become confluent and cloud the shell. One egg was larger and whiter than the rest, the rufous marking of the larger end not being quite so eon - fluent, but forming an ill - defined ring. The nest was placed on the ground at the side of a low bank among grass, and was composed of very fine roots, dead leaves, and grass externally, and lined with black hair of cattle. It was of a rather flat cup - shape."
From Sambhur Mr. R. M. Adam records : -" I found a nest of this bird on the 23rd June, 1873. The nest was in a hole in the bank of an open well. The hole appeared to have been made in the loose sand by the bird, and measured about 3.5 in diameter. The outer lining of the nest consisted of a few pieces of coarse grass, while in the egg - cavity there were a few pieces of fine roots carelessly placed together and not rounded. The nest contained three eggs of a pale greenish colour, with a zone of rust - coloured spots at the broad end, and a few spots and freckles of the same colour on the body of the egg.
" On the 29th June I saw a male bird making a hole with its bill in the bank of an open well; but on visiting it after several days no progress had been made."
From Saharunpoor Colonel G. F. L: Marshall writes : -“The only two nests that I have taken of this bird were structures of a most unique type; they were situated in the middle of tufts of surkery - grass, the insides of which had been all hollowed out, so as to leave a circular space of bare ground in the middle about a foot in diameter, which was sparsely covered over with bits of grass; this circular space was roofed over by drawing the surrounding grass - stems together and weaving in other pieces, so as to form a sort of dome. The interior height of the structure was about 18 inches. The entrance was circular on one side near the top, about 15 inches above the floor of the chamber. The egg - receptacle was a hollow in the floor of the chamber near one side farthest from the entrance and neatly lined with grass, about 2 1/4 inches across and about 1 1/4 inch deep.
" In one nest 1 found four eggs, slightly set, on the 8th April, and in the other nest were four young ones. This was towards the end of April."
Major O. T. Bingham tells us that this Bush - Chat is " uncommon at Allahabad, common at Delhi, breeds in May and the early part of June in holes in banks lined with grass - roots and a few feathers. Eggs very like those of the Home Stonechat, four in number."
Mr. E. Aitken remarks : -" From the neighbourhood of Bombay this bird retires to the hills to breed. I found a nest at Khandalla last year in the middle of May.
"It was in a hole in the perpendicular bank of a railway - cutting, and of course at the level of the station, which is about 1900 feet, I believe, above the sea. The birds never seem to go much above that, in Khandalla at least. I do not think the hole was excavated by the birds, for I have seen one or two other nests in different situations, such as a small depression or shallow hole, partly covered by a rock.. In this case the hole was rather deep, so that I could not see very distinctly into it; but the hole seemed well lined (as it usually is) with grass or fibres, and there seemed to be at least four eggs. In one that I saw two years ago there were four eggs. They can scarcely have more than one brood in the year, for I do not think they begin to breed till May, and they return to the plains before the end of June."
Mr. Benjamin Aitken observes : -“The Pied Bush - Chat does not occur in Bombay, and I have not seen it abundant anywhere on the plains of the Deccan or Berar; but on the hills, from Khandalla (about 2500 feet) to Poorundhur (4472 feet), its name is legion, aud there it breeds in the end of April and in May. Its nests are everywhere, but as the bird is as wary as the Lapwing or the Roller, it requires much patience and considerable practice to find one. Personally I only once found as many as five young ones in a nest; but I have twice had seven brought to me by natives, and under circumstances that made it improbable that they had been taken from different nests. I do not know whether many of these birds retire to the hills to breed; but I have seen them commoner at Poorundhur in November than I saw them at any time on the plains.''
Mr. H. Wenden writes : -" I only obtained one nest of this bird in Sholapoor, although I had several men out daily to look for more. Very few of this species are seen in that station, but 100 miles south they are very numerous and seem to take the place of the Indian Black Robin; and this may be accounted for by that part of the country being covered with bush and scrub - jungle. The only nest found at Sholapoor was built in a hole in the mud walls of a stable - the hole in which the top bar of a loose box would, when the stall was in use, be inserted. As regards construction, it differed but very slightly from that of Thamnobia fulicata, and that only in point of size, being smaller. The nest contained four eggs, three of which I send you."
Colonel E. A. Butler sends me the following note : - " Belgaum, 1st April, 1880. - Four slightly incubated eggs. The nest was built in the hole of a bank of a ditch 4 feet deep encircling the jail compound, and consisted of a neat little hollow pad of very fine dry grass - stems and roots, scantily lined with horsehair and a tuft or two of rat's fur, probably pulled out of an old dead carcase. The eggs were pale greenish white, spotted all over, but most thickly at the large end, forming a cap or zone, with reddish chestnut. On the same date I found two more nests both similar to the above, one being built in the same bank as the above, the other in the hole of a bank of an open well. Both contained two fresh eggs. One of the nests was composed externally principally of coarse worsted - like material, collected evidently from some old piece of prison clothing, intermixed with fine dry grass - stems, being substantially lined with black hair, probably human. The other was composed externally of fine dry grass - stems, intermixed with a piece of red dungaree, and lined with black hair, either goat's or human. I left these nests for more eggs, and on returning two day's later with my usual luck found both empty and deserted. What it is that takes the eggs of these small birds I can't conceive ; but so sure as eggs are left, so sure are they to be taken by whatever it is that robs the nests. On the 3rd inst. I visited no less than four nests, all of which contained eggs when I looked at them on the 1st April, viz. two nests of Corydalla rufula and the two Bush - Chats above mentioned, and in all four instances the eggs that I had left but two days before were gone and the nests of course deserted.
" On the 8th April I found another nest in a hole in the bank of the fort ditch containing three fresh eggs, similar to the above, but rather greener, and with a few lilac markings mixed with the chestnut spots at the large end. I shot the hen bird as she left the nest to be sure of the species, and on picking her up discovered another egg in her broken by the shot. The nest was similar to those already described, being warmly lined with horsehair and tufts of rat's fur. Jerdon gives 5 inches as the length of P. caprata and 6 1/4 inches for P. bicolor, and mentions that he has observed no intermediate form.
" Referring to my measurement - book I find that in all of the specimens I have collected both in Guzerat and in Belgaum the cocks vary from 5 11/16 to 5 3/4 inches and the hens from 5 1/2 to 5 5/8 inches*.
"Hen birds about Belgaum show signs of a rudimentary white wing - patch,
" I noticed two young birds on the same date being fed by the parent birds on a low bush near the same place ; the eggs in this instance must have been laid therefore about the middle of February, as they had evidently left the nest some days. On approaching them the old birds uttered notes of alarm and flew away, and the young ones dived simultaneously into the grass below, to be seen no more, although I searched the spot closely for them for some minutes. The way in which they disappeared like a flash of lightning the moment they heard the alarm - notes of their parents was very remarkable, and the way in which they managed to escape my eye afterwards when I searched the grass for them was more remarkable still. I have often seen a whole brood of dab - chicks (P. minor) dive simultaneously with one loud splash on being approached and reappear again gradually one by one until they were all together, and then disappear again with another loud splash on the slightest movement of the person watching them; but have no recollection of seeing birds before of the present family perform such antics. The pair of birds whose nest I robbed on the 1st April in the bank of the jail compound commenced building a new nest a few days afterwards in the same hole, and on the 15th inst. it contained a single egg. On revisiting it on the 17th inst. as usual I found it empty and deserted. On the 18th April I found another nest in a bank surrounding an open field, containing four fresh eggs, and on the 19th another in a hole in the bank of a quarry, containing three slightly incubated eggs. I was surprised in many instances to notice that these birds excavated the holes the nests were built in themselves, instead of using holes already made, of which the banks were usually full. Two more nests on the 4th May containing five fresh and four incubated eggs respectively, and a nest on the 2nd May containing two fresh eggs."
Mr. G. W. Vidal, in his ' List of the Birds of the South Konkan,' remarks of this species : -" Very common inland and under the Ghats in scrub - clad hill - sides. Less common on the coast. Breeds in April."
From the Deccan Messrs. Davidson and Wenden note : - " Common, and breeds from April to July."
Finally Mr. Oates, writing from Pegu, tells me : -" I have frequently found the nest of this species in Pegu in April and May. It is usually placed in a hole in the ground, the deep footprint of a bullock serving the purpose very frequently; sometimes it is placed on the ground under the shelter of a tuft of grass."
I should note that in some parts of the country, though common enough in the cold weather, it breeds very sparingly. This is the case, for instance, in South Behar and Mirzapore, and even more so, I think, in Lower Bengal. Further detailing information, as to where it does and does not breed freely, is much needed.
The eggs are rather broad ovals, somewhat pointed towards one end and fairly glossy. Somewhat spherical varieties, however, occur. The ground - colour is a delicate pale bluish green, and they are pretty finely speckled, mottled, and streaked with brownish red. The markings are always densest at the large end, where they commonly form a mottled irregular cap, or rarely a zone, while towards the small end they are thin and sometimes altogether wanting. There are two types of marking - the one comparatively streaky and mottly, the other, which is the least common, speckly and spotty. They are not unlike, whether in shape or colouring, the eggs of the English Stonechat, but they are usually considerably smaller, being scarcely, if at all, larger as a rule than those of the Chiffchaff or the Willow - Wren.
They vary, however, enormously in size - in length from 0.6 to 0.77, and in breadth from 0.44 to 0.64; but these extremes represent exceptional eggs, and the majority run near to what I found the average of the fifty eggs measured to be, viz. 0.67 by 0.55.
* Dr. Stoliczka correctly remarks: - " Common all through the Sutlej Valley up to Nachar, but seldom further east above elevations of 8000 feet."
* P. bicolor does not extend so far north as Belgaum. All the specimens I have examined from this place are P. caprata. - ED.
The Common Pied Bush - Chat.
Pratincola caprata (L.), Jerd. B. Ind. ii, p. 123; Hume, Rough Draft N. & E. no. 481.
The Common Pied Bush - Chat breeds throughout the plains country of the continent of India and Burma and in the Himalayas, and ranges running southwards from these up to elevations of from 4000 to 8000 * feet, according to latitude.
The breeding - season is from March to June, and eggs may be found everywhere during this period; but for all that the majority lay in the plains in March and April and in the hills in May.
In the plains perhaps the most favourite site for the nest is in a hole some little way down the side of a well; but any hole almost in the ground will, if sheltered, serve their purpose, and at times, but rarely, they will build in a dense bush or tuft of grass, but still even then on or close to the ground.
The nest as a rule is a shallow, somewhat saucer - shaped pad, composed of soft grass, fine roots, and lined with the same, hairs, or other soft material.
I have found them composed entirely of human hair and sheep's wool, fitted together without any attempt at rounding, and I have once or twice taken neat circular nests closely woven of very fine grass and carefully lined with horsehair.
Four is the full complement of eggs; but I have continually found only three more or less incubated ones in a nest, and five are recorded by more than one of my correspondents.
Mr. F. R. Blewitt says : -" This Stone - Chat is somewhat common in the Sanger and Nerbudda and Hoshungabad districts. It is also to be met with in the more open country the whole way from Saugor to Sumbulpoor. I have repeatedly secured its eggs. The nests were always on the ground, of very simple construction, composed of grass - roots externally, and lined with fine grass or a little hair."
Captain Hutton tells us that " this little species, which is by no means uncommon in the hills even up to 8000 feet, is also very abundant in the warmer climate of the Dhoon, where it breeds in May and June. On the first of the latter month I obtained a nest containing five eggs of a pale greenish white, thickly spotted with rufous, especially at the larger end, where they become confluent and cloud the shell. One egg was larger and whiter than the rest, the rufous marking of the larger end not being quite so eon - fluent, but forming an ill - defined ring. The nest was placed on the ground at the side of a low bank among grass, and was composed of very fine roots, dead leaves, and grass externally, and lined with black hair of cattle. It was of a rather flat cup - shape."
From Sambhur Mr. R. M. Adam records : -" I found a nest of this bird on the 23rd June, 1873. The nest was in a hole in the bank of an open well. The hole appeared to have been made in the loose sand by the bird, and measured about 3.5 in diameter. The outer lining of the nest consisted of a few pieces of coarse grass, while in the egg - cavity there were a few pieces of fine roots carelessly placed together and not rounded. The nest contained three eggs of a pale greenish colour, with a zone of rust - coloured spots at the broad end, and a few spots and freckles of the same colour on the body of the egg.
" On the 29th June I saw a male bird making a hole with its bill in the bank of an open well; but on visiting it after several days no progress had been made."
From Saharunpoor Colonel G. F. L: Marshall writes : -“The only two nests that I have taken of this bird were structures of a most unique type; they were situated in the middle of tufts of surkery - grass, the insides of which had been all hollowed out, so as to leave a circular space of bare ground in the middle about a foot in diameter, which was sparsely covered over with bits of grass; this circular space was roofed over by drawing the surrounding grass - stems together and weaving in other pieces, so as to form a sort of dome. The interior height of the structure was about 18 inches. The entrance was circular on one side near the top, about 15 inches above the floor of the chamber. The egg - receptacle was a hollow in the floor of the chamber near one side farthest from the entrance and neatly lined with grass, about 2 1/4 inches across and about 1 1/4 inch deep.
" In one nest 1 found four eggs, slightly set, on the 8th April, and in the other nest were four young ones. This was towards the end of April."
Major O. T. Bingham tells us that this Bush - Chat is " uncommon at Allahabad, common at Delhi, breeds in May and the early part of June in holes in banks lined with grass - roots and a few feathers. Eggs very like those of the Home Stonechat, four in number."
Mr. E. Aitken remarks : -" From the neighbourhood of Bombay this bird retires to the hills to breed. I found a nest at Khandalla last year in the middle of May.
"It was in a hole in the perpendicular bank of a railway - cutting, and of course at the level of the station, which is about 1900 feet, I believe, above the sea. The birds never seem to go much above that, in Khandalla at least. I do not think the hole was excavated by the birds, for I have seen one or two other nests in different situations, such as a small depression or shallow hole, partly covered by a rock.. In this case the hole was rather deep, so that I could not see very distinctly into it; but the hole seemed well lined (as it usually is) with grass or fibres, and there seemed to be at least four eggs. In one that I saw two years ago there were four eggs. They can scarcely have more than one brood in the year, for I do not think they begin to breed till May, and they return to the plains before the end of June."
Mr. Benjamin Aitken observes : -“The Pied Bush - Chat does not occur in Bombay, and I have not seen it abundant anywhere on the plains of the Deccan or Berar; but on the hills, from Khandalla (about 2500 feet) to Poorundhur (4472 feet), its name is legion, aud there it breeds in the end of April and in May. Its nests are everywhere, but as the bird is as wary as the Lapwing or the Roller, it requires much patience and considerable practice to find one. Personally I only once found as many as five young ones in a nest; but I have twice had seven brought to me by natives, and under circumstances that made it improbable that they had been taken from different nests. I do not know whether many of these birds retire to the hills to breed; but I have seen them commoner at Poorundhur in November than I saw them at any time on the plains.''
Mr. H. Wenden writes : -" I only obtained one nest of this bird in Sholapoor, although I had several men out daily to look for more. Very few of this species are seen in that station, but 100 miles south they are very numerous and seem to take the place of the Indian Black Robin; and this may be accounted for by that part of the country being covered with bush and scrub - jungle. The only nest found at Sholapoor was built in a hole in the mud walls of a stable - the hole in which the top bar of a loose box would, when the stall was in use, be inserted. As regards construction, it differed but very slightly from that of Thamnobia fulicata, and that only in point of size, being smaller. The nest contained four eggs, three of which I send you."
Colonel E. A. Butler sends me the following note : - " Belgaum, 1st April, 1880. - Four slightly incubated eggs. The nest was built in the hole of a bank of a ditch 4 feet deep encircling the jail compound, and consisted of a neat little hollow pad of very fine dry grass - stems and roots, scantily lined with horsehair and a tuft or two of rat's fur, probably pulled out of an old dead carcase. The eggs were pale greenish white, spotted all over, but most thickly at the large end, forming a cap or zone, with reddish chestnut. On the same date I found two more nests both similar to the above, one being built in the same bank as the above, the other in the hole of a bank of an open well. Both contained two fresh eggs. One of the nests was composed externally principally of coarse worsted - like material, collected evidently from some old piece of prison clothing, intermixed with fine dry grass - stems, being substantially lined with black hair, probably human. The other was composed externally of fine dry grass - stems, intermixed with a piece of red dungaree, and lined with black hair, either goat's or human. I left these nests for more eggs, and on returning two day's later with my usual luck found both empty and deserted. What it is that takes the eggs of these small birds I can't conceive ; but so sure as eggs are left, so sure are they to be taken by whatever it is that robs the nests. On the 3rd inst. I visited no less than four nests, all of which contained eggs when I looked at them on the 1st April, viz. two nests of Corydalla rufula and the two Bush - Chats above mentioned, and in all four instances the eggs that I had left but two days before were gone and the nests of course deserted.
" On the 8th April I found another nest in a hole in the bank of the fort ditch containing three fresh eggs, similar to the above, but rather greener, and with a few lilac markings mixed with the chestnut spots at the large end. I shot the hen bird as she left the nest to be sure of the species, and on picking her up discovered another egg in her broken by the shot. The nest was similar to those already described, being warmly lined with horsehair and tufts of rat's fur. Jerdon gives 5 inches as the length of P. caprata and 6 1/4 inches for P. bicolor, and mentions that he has observed no intermediate form.
" Referring to my measurement - book I find that in all of the specimens I have collected both in Guzerat and in Belgaum the cocks vary from 5 11/16 to 5 3/4 inches and the hens from 5 1/2 to 5 5/8 inches*.
"Hen birds about Belgaum show signs of a rudimentary white wing - patch,
" I noticed two young birds on the same date being fed by the parent birds on a low bush near the same place ; the eggs in this instance must have been laid therefore about the middle of February, as they had evidently left the nest some days. On approaching them the old birds uttered notes of alarm and flew away, and the young ones dived simultaneously into the grass below, to be seen no more, although I searched the spot closely for them for some minutes. The way in which they disappeared like a flash of lightning the moment they heard the alarm - notes of their parents was very remarkable, and the way in which they managed to escape my eye afterwards when I searched the grass for them was more remarkable still. I have often seen a whole brood of dab - chicks (P. minor) dive simultaneously with one loud splash on being approached and reappear again gradually one by one until they were all together, and then disappear again with another loud splash on the slightest movement of the person watching them; but have no recollection of seeing birds before of the present family perform such antics. The pair of birds whose nest I robbed on the 1st April in the bank of the jail compound commenced building a new nest a few days afterwards in the same hole, and on the 15th inst. it contained a single egg. On revisiting it on the 17th inst. as usual I found it empty and deserted. On the 18th April I found another nest in a bank surrounding an open field, containing four fresh eggs, and on the 19th another in a hole in the bank of a quarry, containing three slightly incubated eggs. I was surprised in many instances to notice that these birds excavated the holes the nests were built in themselves, instead of using holes already made, of which the banks were usually full. Two more nests on the 4th May containing five fresh and four incubated eggs respectively, and a nest on the 2nd May containing two fresh eggs."
Mr. G. W. Vidal, in his ' List of the Birds of the South Konkan,' remarks of this species : -" Very common inland and under the Ghats in scrub - clad hill - sides. Less common on the coast. Breeds in April."
From the Deccan Messrs. Davidson and Wenden note : - " Common, and breeds from April to July."
Finally Mr. Oates, writing from Pegu, tells me : -" I have frequently found the nest of this species in Pegu in April and May. It is usually placed in a hole in the ground, the deep footprint of a bullock serving the purpose very frequently; sometimes it is placed on the ground under the shelter of a tuft of grass."
I should note that in some parts of the country, though common enough in the cold weather, it breeds very sparingly. This is the case, for instance, in South Behar and Mirzapore, and even more so, I think, in Lower Bengal. Further detailing information, as to where it does and does not breed freely, is much needed.
The eggs are rather broad ovals, somewhat pointed towards one end and fairly glossy. Somewhat spherical varieties, however, occur. The ground - colour is a delicate pale bluish green, and they are pretty finely speckled, mottled, and streaked with brownish red. The markings are always densest at the large end, where they commonly form a mottled irregular cap, or rarely a zone, while towards the small end they are thin and sometimes altogether wanting. There are two types of marking - the one comparatively streaky and mottly, the other, which is the least common, speckly and spotty. They are not unlike, whether in shape or colouring, the eggs of the English Stonechat, but they are usually considerably smaller, being scarcely, if at all, larger as a rule than those of the Chiffchaff or the Willow - Wren.
They vary, however, enormously in size - in length from 0.6 to 0.77, and in breadth from 0.44 to 0.64; but these extremes represent exceptional eggs, and the majority run near to what I found the average of the fifty eggs measured to be, viz. 0.67 by 0.55.
* Dr. Stoliczka correctly remarks: - " Common all through the Sutlej Valley up to Nachar, but seldom further east above elevations of 8000 feet."
* P. bicolor does not extend so far north as Belgaum. All the specimens I have examined from this place are P. caprata. - ED.
