344 Mr. E, Newton on the Land-Birds 



the side of the mountam, through tall grass which almost 

 reached to the top of our heads, ascending several very steep 

 places, until we were about 1000 feet above the sea. Here 

 we found pine-apples growing in abundance; these our men 

 peeled, and, holding them by the crown, gnawed them as an 

 English countryman would a turnip. Bushels upon bushels 

 might have been gathered in a very few minutes : nothing but 

 the rats appears to contend with man for them; and as the pines 

 are probably more numerous than the rats, there are plenty left 

 for men's use. Going up, hardly a bird was seen save the 

 " Goelands '"" flying round the badamiers below, and a few 

 " Colibris " and " Martins." It is curious that on the island of 

 Mahe there does not appear at present to be existing a single 

 indigenous species of the large family of Fringillida or Ploceidce. 

 There are grasses enough, one would have thought, to main- 

 tain a good many grain-eaters, but their seeds remain unde- 

 voured by any bird. We soon crossed over a narrow ridge, and 

 on descending we discovered a small flock of what I at once 

 saw would turn out to be a new species of Zoster-ops. Contrary, 

 however, to the usual habit of the genus, these were, as the 

 Creoles say, " beaucoup farouches," and, keeping in a low bush 

 with thick foliage, I had an ineffectual shot, and they flew away. 

 At the same place we came across some " Merles." I had 

 heard of the existence of this species, and, now that I got it, I 

 felt pretty sure, from the yellow tinge on the breast and the 

 much larger beak, it was distinct from the Mauritius, Reunion, 

 and Madagascar forms of the genus with which I was acquainted ; 

 and a comparison with numerous specimens of these convinced 

 me I was right. I have described it under the name of Hi/psi- 

 petes crassirostris^ . Going a little further up the mountain, we 



* Hypsipetes CRASsmoSTMs : vulgo "Merle." 



Hypsipeies H. olivaceo adiiioduni similis sed rostro valde robustiore, gula, 

 pectore abdomincque flavescentibus. 



Descr. maris adtdti. — Supra fiiscus, nonniliil ad olivaceum vergens, pileo 

 nigro ; subtus gula pectoreque cinereis llavo tinctis, abdomiue albido- 

 flavescente ; remi gibus rectricibusque fuscis, quibusdam secundariis 

 externe rufis ; rostro sordide aurantiaco ; pedibus fusco-flavis, ungui- 

 bus nigi-is, iridibus fusco-rubris. 

 Long, tota 10'75, alseS-S, caudse 4'5, acrotarsi 1'05, dig. med. sine ungue 



0'8, liallucis sine ungue 0-5, maxillai a froute I'l, ejusdem a rictu 



