no ONYCHOGNATHUS BLYTHI 



Amydrus creaghi, Grant Sc Forbes, Nat. Hist. Sokotra, p. 58 (190-3) 



Ahd-el-Eiiri. 

 Onychognathus creghi, Reichen. Yog. Afr. iii. p. 837 (1905). 



Adult male. Plumage, with the exception of the primaries, glossy 

 violet black with a green shade on the forehead, sides of head, throac and 

 thighs (breast also sometimes shaded with green) ; primaries cinnamon, 

 scarcely paler below than above, with the small first primary and the ends 

 of the others blackish ; the dark end of the first long primary e.Ktends over 

 the end third and down half of the outer web. " Iris brown ; bill and feet 

 black." Total length 14 inches, culmen I'D, wing 6-6, tail 7-0, tarsus 1-4. 

 <? , 10. 2. 98, Dobar (Hawker). " Iris crimson " (Hamerton). 



Adult female. Differs in having the entire head and neck uniform pale 

 grey. Wing 6-5. ? , 10. 2. 98, Dobar (Hawker). 



Immature. Similar to the adult male only duller (<? and J , January) ; 

 but the female gradually replaces the black feathers of the head and neck 

 with grey ones ( ? , 8. 2. 98). Sokotra (Grant & Forbes). 



Blyth's Chestnut-winged Starling inhabits Xorth-east 

 Africa and the Islands of Sokotra and Abd-el-Kuri. 



In " The Natural History of Sokotra and Abd-el-Kuri," 

 pp. 22-24, The Messrs. Ogilvie Grant and H. 0. Forbes give 

 the following interesting ' account of the species : " This 

 handsome Starling was common on all parts of the island 

 visited by us. On the Hadibu Plain it was constantly to 

 be seen in pairs and small flocks, but on the granite moun- 

 tains surrounding our highest camp, at Adho Dimellus 

 (3,500 ft.), it was perhaps most numerous. During the day- 

 time the birds might be met with in all sorts of places, on 

 the plains and patches of open grass, as well as on the 

 bush-clad hill-sides, but just before sunset they all retired 

 to the neighbouring precipices, and might then be seen far 

 overhead in pairs and flocks on their way to roost. At 

 Jena-agahan, one of our camps in the Aaghier range, small 

 flocks were constantly to be seen just before sunset, circling 

 round above the granite peaks, much after the fashion of 

 the Common Starling, and uttering their shrill, rather dis- 

 cordant cry, as they flew. 



