TEE BIRDS OF THE ANDAMAN AND NICOBAR ISLA ADS. 559 



Katchal have the culmen short as in birds from the Malay Peninsula and 

 islands ; those found in Condul have the bill extremely long, the culmen 

 measuring about ■85." 



I take it this race inhabits all the islands of the southern group — the 

 great and little Nicobars, Pilu Milu, &g. 



Car Nicobarese: " roycha." 



899, Arachnechthra andamanica, Hume. Gates, IF, p. 363 ; " Str, 

 Feath.," I, p. 404. 



Common in the Andamans ; very partial to the flowers of the cocoanut 

 palm and to those of the Shoe Flower (Hibiscus). 



I took one nest with 2 fresh eggs at Gopla Kabung on May 30th. It -nas 

 suspended over the surface of a stream, about 3ft. above the water which was 

 eight or nine feet deep, so that I had to swim out and tread water while 

 taking the nest. This was very similar to a nest of Asiatica composed of 

 fibres, flakes of bark, bits of dead leaves, seed heads of fine grass, spider's 

 webs, &c. The actual nest itself was about 4 in. by 3 in., but with a suspend- 

 ing store above and a trailing adornment of dead leaves, &c., below, it mea- 

 sured 12 in. altogether. The portico projected one inch. The eggs are very 

 different to those of Asiatica; dull white, sprinkled sparingly at the small end 

 and plentifully at the larger with littla lines, dots, and blots of dark blackish 

 brown, under which are a few faint marblings of pale greyish brown. Many 

 of the dark marks have the appearance of having been made with a pen on a 

 wet surface and having " run" slightly. The male of this nest was not in full 

 plumage, having the breast only speckled with metallic feathers, Mr. Gates 

 mentions a nest taken in March and 1 shot a breeding bird on January 20th 

 and July 7th. 



918. Dictum virescens, Hume. Oates, II, p. 380; " Str. Feather." II, 

 p. 198, 



This flower-pecker seemed to me remarkably scarce in the Andamans, to 

 which it is peculiar. Mr, Hume in his notes on the Birds of the Islands of the 

 Bay of Bengal ("Str, Feath.," II., p, 198) mentions receiving four specimens 

 but he did not notice it himself and says that Davison, though he saw it at 

 Port Monat, failed to procure an example. I only saw the bird once, near Port 

 Blair; it settled on a trailing spray of Thunhergia within three or four feet 

 of me, but as I backed away to shoot it, darted ofl: through the jungle and 

 disappeared, 



931. Pitta CiVNOPTERA, Temm,(?) Gates, II, p, 392 ; " Str. Feath.," II, 

 pp. 75, 22.'> 



Mr. Hume saw a Pitta which he took to be this species on the Great Nico- 

 bars. It may as he suggests possibly have been a new species. 



971. Dendrocopus andamanensis, Blyth. Blanf., Ill, p. 42; " Str 

 Feath.," II, p. 187. 



This small Wood-^ ccker is fairly common near Port Blair ; it is usually 

 met with singly or in pairs. Like many small Wood-peckers, it is more 



