Capt. 11. C. Beavan on various Indian Birds. 443 



A young male agrees well with Dr. Jerdon^s description of 

 the young bird : the bill is black ; legs plumbeous ; the throat 

 white ; but the breast and abdomen conspicuously marked with 

 longitudinal streaks of a dark brown or black colour on a yel- 

 lowish-white ground. This specimen was procured near Simla 

 on 6th August, so that it is evident they breed in the neigh- 

 bourhood. 



472. Obiolus melanocephalus. Black-headed Oriole. 



This is the " Golden Oriole " of most Europeans in India, and 

 also the " Maugo-Bird.^' It is decidedly one of our handsomest 

 birds. Its usual call-note is a sharp whistle, k-e-e-u k-e-e-u, 

 sometimes only kooku koo-woo, which can be imitated by the 

 human voice. Its call of inquiry may be syllabled kee-kooku ? 

 kee koo woo ? It has a pecuUarly comical song, which might 

 almost be denominated harsh and cracked, just as if a Parrot 

 were trying to whistle in a very high key, mixed up with a chat- 

 tering as of Starlings. It is common both at Barrackpore and 

 in Maunbhoom ; at least males are ; but somehow one seldom or 

 ever seems to come across a female, unless the sexes are of ex- 

 actly the same colour. 



A nest with three eggs, brought to me at Beerachalee in 

 Maunbhoom on 5th April, 1865, is cup-shaped, interior dia- 

 meter 3'5, depth inside 2. It is composed outside of woolly 

 fibres, flax and bits of dried leaves, and inside of bents and small 

 dried twigs, — the whole compact and neat. The eggs are of a 

 light pink ground (almost flesh-colour) with a few scattered 

 spots of brown-pink, darker and more numerous at the blunt 

 end; they measure 1*125 x barely '8. The Burmese race of 

 this bird appears to be smaller than the Bengal one. The di- 

 mensions of a male in most perfect plumage shot at Moulmein, 

 September 23rd, 1865, are as follows : — Length 8-3125 ; wing 

 5-125; tail 3-25; bill from front 1*0625; tarsus -875. {Cf. 

 P. Z. S. 1866, p. 550.) 



474. Oriolus trailli. Maroon Oriole. 

 Darjeeling collection, 1862. Two specimens. 



475. CopsYcuus SAULARib. Magpie-Robin. 



