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A VISIT TO NARCONDAM. 



By 



b. b. osmaston, i.f.s. 



Narcondam is a small solitary island situated in the Andaman Sea in 

 Lat. 13°-26'. It is well out of sight of land, the nearest being the Great Cocos 

 and North Andaman Islands, both about 80 miles distant to the north-west and 

 west, respectively. 



The island is about seven miles in circumference and the central peak reaches 

 a height of 2,200 feet above the sea. 



It rises abruptly out of a deep sea from over 500 fathoms and its origin is cer- 

 tainly volcanic, though there are no signs of a crater or of any recent volcanic 

 activity. 



It having been decided that the forest growth in Narcondam should be 

 explored with a view to ascertain whether any of the valuable Andaman Padouk 

 (Pterocarpus dalbergioides) occurred there, I gladly availed myself of the 

 opportunity of visiting such an interesting and unfrequented island. I spent 

 five days, October 1st to 6th, camped on the island in company with my friend 

 C. Gilbert Rogers during which time we thoroughly explored a great part of 

 the island, ascending the central peak, as well as circumnavigating the island in 

 a nine foot canvas canoe. 



The whole island is clothed more or less densely with forest from coast line to 

 summit. In places the jungle is almost impenetrable ; in others one can move ' 

 about freely in the dense shade afforded by palms (chiefly Caryota mitis) under a 

 lofty canopy of huge forest trees including immense figs but no Padouk or 

 other valuable timber. 



Fresh water is not to be found anywhere on the island except at a spot near 

 the north-east corner where there was a small pool in the bed of a stream which 

 however would certainly be dry from November to April. Most of my time 

 was devoted to a study of the birds which, however, I found to be scarce both 

 in species and individuals. 



Altogether seventeen kinds were observed, of which at least seven are only 

 seasonal visitors. 



The following short account of the birds obtained may be of interest : — 

 (1). Rhytidoceros narcondami (The Narcondam Hornbill). 

 This Hornbill is, as is well known, peculiar to Narcondam where it was dis- 

 covered by Hume in 1873. I found it fairly numerous in the high forest which 

 clothes the lower slopes of the mountain down to the coast. 



They are both noisy and fearless and from their conspicuous black and white 

 colouration are bound to attract the attention of the most unobservant. 



I found them feeding exclusively on figs, and such trees in fruit formed a 

 centre of attraction to the birds who resorted to them from far and near. By 

 standing under such trees any number of shots could be obtained. I secured 

 altogether ten specimens which were carefully skinned and preserved. Five 



