264 THE PlyANT WORI^D 



fighting on the wing. The colors of the female and young are much 

 duller than those of the adult male. 



Zosterops conspicillata. — White-fronted Zosterops. 



Vernacular name, Nossak. — Pretty little olive-green birds, yellow 

 below ; usually seen in flocks. They feed upon insects, frequently cling- 

 ing to the lower side of branches while searching for them. While flying 

 they utter a sparrow-like note. 



Acrocephalus luscinia. — Reed- warbler. 



Vernacular name, Gd-karriso. — A modest-colored shy bird frequent- 

 ing reedy swamps. It has an exquisite song. Indeed it may be called 

 the only song-bird of the island. Its native name signifies " reed-lover," 

 or ' ' reed-frequenter. ' ' 



Aplonis kittlitzi. — Marianne Starling. 



Vernacular name, Sali, or Sale. — A bird resembling the black thrush 

 of Europe, and called Tordo by the Spaniards. The adults are black 

 with yellow eyes. The young have brown eyes and breast feathers of a 

 yellowish-white with dark centers. This species is allied to the Samoan 

 Miti-uli (^Aplonis brevirostris) . It builds its nest usually in the top of a 

 dead coconut tree. Its eggs are pale green spotted with brown. It is 

 very active, noisy, and quarrelsome. 



Corvus kubaryi. — Kubary's Crow. 



Vernacular name, Aga. — A true crow, with glossy black plumage, 

 solitary in its habits, frequenting the woods, and seldom seen near vil- 

 lages. It is fond of talisai almonds ( Termhialia catappa), and does much 

 damage to the maize crops of the natives. 



Ptilopus roseicapillus. — Rosy-capped Fruit-pigeon, 



Vernacular name, Totot, or Tottot. — A beautiful bird of a parrot-green 

 color above, yellow below with purple on the breast and an orange 

 crissum. Its head is capped with a rose-purple crown. It feeds on 

 various fruits, including those of the ilang-ilang tree iCananga odorata), 

 beach plnm iXimenia americana^ , lemoncito {_Triphasia trifoliata), and 

 a species of Cestrum called tintan-China, or " Chinese ink-berry " by the 

 natives. Closely allied to the manu-tangi of Samoa {.Ptilopus fasciaUis) , 

 which it resembles in its plumage and sobbing note, and like that species 

 a favorite pet of the natives in former times. Plumage of both sexes alike. 



Turtur dussumieri. — Philippine Turtle Dove. 



Vernacular name, Paluman halom-tano . — An introduced species com- 

 mon in the fields, and much hunted by the natives for food. It is a true 

 turtle dove in form and color. Its native name signifies " wild, or inland 

 pigeon." Also called Paluman machaleg. 



Phlegoenas xanthonura. — White-headed Pigeon. 



Vernacular names : male, Apaka, or Paluman apaka ; female, Paluman 

 ku7iao. — The sexes are so different in size and color that the natives regard 

 them as distinct species which live together. The males are the larger 

 and have the head throat and breast white and the rest of the upper parts 

 olive bronze, with a purple luster on the wing coverts, lower parts brown, 

 and the tail dark gray with a subtermial black band. The female is of a 

 uniform reddish brown without any white at all in its plumage ; tail red- 



