THE STARLINGS OR MYNAHS. 45 



when on the ground, where they find most of their food. 

 But they are also active on trees, and strong fliers, the flight 

 being level and steady, with none of the undulating action 

 so common among the smaller species of birds. Not 

 that Mynahs are very small ; their size always exceeds 

 that of a Sparrow. Male and female are alike, but the 

 young may differ greatly. Mynahs feed mostly on insects, 

 but will eat fruit and even seed also ; they build in holes 

 for the most part, and their eggs are generally plain un- 

 spotted blue. They much affect the neighbourhood of 

 man, and are usually harmless, not to say useful birds, 

 besides being handsome and interesting to watch. Their 

 natural song is not pleasant, but when brought up from 

 the nest they show great talent for mimicry. They are 

 sociable in a wild state and not quarrelsome with other 

 birds in an aviary, though they can hold their own, even 

 with larger species. They are particularly easy to feed 

 and will thrive well for a long time. In Bengal they are 

 called Salik. 



The House-Mynah or Common Mynah {Acridotheres 

 tristis) is found all over India, ascending the hills to a 

 considerable height, as it has of late years become common 

 at Darjeeling. It is a very domesticated bird, building 

 a great untidy nest of rags, straw, etc., in any hole it can 

 find about a house, and walking about the verandah 

 with a view to picking up any remnants of boiled rice, etc., 

 that may be handy. At the same time, the Mynah is not 

 offensively familiar like the Crow and Sparrow, and it is 

 perhaps for this reason that he is so generally popular. 

 Resides, he is a nice bird to look at. His brown plumage, 



