THE BIRDS OF NORTHERN THAILAND 525 



of snakes, gathering around and following a victim with excited out- 

 cries and not infrequently directly leading to its dispatch at human 

 hands. I have observed it feeding, at various times, on vegetable 

 matter, earthworms, and insects, and it must be considered, despite 

 a bad habit of damaging tiled roofs during the long breeding period, 

 an interesting and generally beneficial resident of any compound. 



An adult male had the irides dull brown with white flecks; the 

 orbital region yellow ; the bill wax yellow, with the base of the man- 

 dible blackish ; the rictus and interior of the mouth yellow ; the feet 

 and toes wax yellow; the claws yellowish horn. An unsexed juvenile 

 (August 16) differed in having the irides dark gray and the naked 

 orbital skin white. 



Old birds have the lanceolate feathers of the forehead, crown, and 

 nape glossy black; the remaining upperparts rich vinaceous-brown ; 

 the primaries black, crossed by a broad white band at the base, the 

 secondaries brown, glossed with bronze ; the rectrices brownish black, 

 with outwardly increasingly broad white tips; the chin, throat, and 

 uppermost breast blackish slate; the remaining underparts rich 

 vinaceous-brown, becoming vinaceous-white on the center of the 

 abdomen; the under tail coverts, under wing coverts, and axillaries 

 pure white. 



Of Acridotheres t. tristis in its homeland, Stuart Baker observes 

 (Fauna of British India, Birds, ed. 2, vol. 3, 1926, p. 54) : "This 

 Myna is one of the most universally common birds in India 

 and is rapidly becoming more common in areas where it was but 

 recently unknown or merely a rare straggler. This is especially the 

 case in the hills, where these birds have followed mankind to higher 

 elevations and into places where the country is being opened up." 



Discussing its status in Central Thailand prior to April 1920, Her- 

 bert (Journ. Nat. Hist. Soc. Siam, vol. 6, 1923, p. Ill) writes that it 

 "does not occur in Bangkok, though possibly a stray bird might be 

 seen there, as it is found in very small numbers on the Petriu side 

 and sometimes at Klong Rangsit or Ayuthia, as well as on the Tachin 

 side. In 1919 I sent my collector to all these places on several 

 occasions but he only found it breeding at Hua Takhae on the Petriu 

 line, w T here there were five or six pairs nesting in some old temples." 

 An editor's footnote (May 1923) adds: "This remark was true up 

 to a few years ago, but the bird has now established itself as one of 

 the common species of the Capital, where it breeds from March 

 onwards in suitable nesting-holes in buildings, etc." Aagaard con- 

 curs with these remarks (The common birds of Bangkok, 1930, p. 52) : 

 "Not more than 12 to 15 years ago this bird was a rare visitor to 

 Bangkok; but is now very abundant, and getting more and more 

 numerous year by year." 



