55 



687. Temenuchiis pagodarum. Black-headed myna. 



795. Turtur suratensis. Spotted dove. 



884. Tringa miniita. Little stint. 



944 PhsenicopterHS roseus. Flamingo. 



980. Xema brunnicephala. Brown-headed gull. 



985. Sterna seena. Large river tern. 



On the sandy shore of Shingle Island, one of the islands 

 which intervene? between Ramesvaram Island and the main- 

 land, which is overgrown with long grass reaching in some 

 places to a height of 6 feet, my friend Mr. J. R. Henderson 

 saw, in early June, hundreds of a doubtful species of Tern (?) 

 and a few of the large river Tern {Sterna seena). Of these 

 the latter laid a single egg in a tunnel excavated among the 

 matted roots of the grass, and artfully concealed from view. 

 The former laid a single egg ia a hole scooped out in the 

 sand near the water's edge, where the grass was either very 

 short or absent ; and the eggs were easily missed owing to 

 the resemblance between their colour and that of the sand, 

 which affords an example of the adaptation of the colouring 

 of eggs to their natural surroundings for the purpose of con- 

 cealment, according to the principle of protective colouration. 

 In July 1888 the shores of Coorisuddy Island^ were in posses- 

 sion of an army of occupation of flamingoes, which were, 

 no doubt, feeding on worms and burrowing crabs. 



The insect would, apart from the irrepressible ants and 

 mosquitoes, is only poorly represented on Edmesvaram 

 Island, and of Lepidoptera the most conspicuous was Papilio 

 {Menelaides) hector, flying swift-winged along the shore or 

 far out at sea. The following Lepidoptera were captured in 

 July 1889 :— 



Mycalesis mineiis, Linn. 

 Melanitis leda, Linn. 

 Tarucus pKnius, Fabr. 

 Catochrysops strabo, Fair. 

 Catopsilia crocale, Cramer. 



Catopsilia catilla, Cramer. 

 Terias hecabe, Linn. 

 Papilio hector, Linn. 

 Papilio erithonius, Cramer. 



* The following botanical specimens were collected by me on Coori- 

 suddy Island : — Bodoncea viscosa, Eugenia jambolana, Pemphis acidula, Olden- 

 landia umbellata (Indian madder or cbay root), Vernonin cinerea, Launaa 

 pinnatifida, Salvadora persica, Enicostema littorale, Ipomcea biloba (Goat's foot), 

 Vlerodendron inerme, Boerhaavia difusa (spreading hog weed), Aerua 

 javanica, Stteeda motioica, Euphorbia corrigioloides , Euphorbia thymifolia, 

 Fhyllanthus polyphyllus, Pandanus odoratissimus (screw-pine), and Cynodon 

 dactylon (huriallee grass). 



