202 JOURNAL, BOMB AY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol.XVllI. 



certainly lose it. One I captured took a firm grip of a boat's cushion, and as it 

 could not be induced to let go, it was placed on board the launch in possession 

 of the cushion and only relaxed i^.s hold 2 hours afterwards ! 



We found the island swarming with the I ied Imperial Pigeon (Myristicircra 

 bicolor) and it was not long before we discovered a nest containing a single 

 fresh egg, followed by many others. Altogether we found some 50 nests 

 containing each a single egg, some fresh, some more or less incubated. 



The nests were not, as a rule, close together. They were placed near the 

 tops of small trees or on the lower branches of big ones, usually about 25 feet 

 from the ground. One nest I found was only 10 feet from the ground, but 

 this was exceptional. 



The nest is the usual flimsy platform of sticks through which the egg is 

 usually visible from below. 



The eggs are of course pure white, generally rather elongated ovals with a 

 fair amount of gloss. The measurements are as follows : — 



Longestegg l'9l" X 1-26" 



Shortest „ 1'67" x 1-20" 



Mean of 28 eggs T80" x 124" 



Calosnas nicoburica (the Nicobar Hackled Pigeon) was also breeding on the 

 island, but in comparatively small numbers, and we only succeeded in finding 

 two nests similar in structure and position to thoso of Myristicivora. They too 

 contained a single egg each, quite fresh, very similar to those of the Fied 

 Imperial, but slightly larger (average 1'92" X 1'22"). 1h.Q fresh egg of Calonas 

 may, moreover, be recognized from that of Myristicivora by the colour of the 

 membrane underlying the shell, which imparts a delicate purple tinge to the 

 egg of the former, that of the latter being pure white or faintly yellow. 



Other birds observed on the island were : Esacus ma gnirosiris , Lepterodius 

 saeer, Haliaetus leitcogaster, Palceornis magnirostris, Nettium albiyulare, Muscilrea 

 grisola, Aracnecthra andamanica and a rail of sorts, probably Hypotanhlia 

 obscurior. 



The only other inhabitants we saw on South Sentinel were the following: — 



A flying fox (Pteropus nicobaricus). Very numerous. 



A monitor lizard (Varanus salvator). Also common. We captured one large 

 specimen 7 feet in length. 



Also tree lizirds (? Goniocephalus) and skinks. Very numerous. 



The common edible Turtle. These animals literally swarm round the island, 

 coming on shore in the evening to lay their eggs, which may be dug up in 

 numbers from the nest h' les in the sand. 



We secured one fine and large turtle as he was trying to escape from the 

 shallows, and turned him on to his back. Eventually, however, we had to let 

 him go, as we had no room for him in the boat. 



B. B. OSMASTON, I.F.S. 



Port Blair, Andaman Islands, 

 June 1907. 



