ONYCHOGNATHUS BLYTHI 111 



" Their food is veiy varied, consisting of grasshoppers 

 and other insects, as well as fruits of all kinds, especially 

 figs, and the berry of the dragon's blood tree. Compared 

 with the allied A. f rater, birds of this species are wild and 

 much more difficult to approach." They further remark, that 

 when feeding on the ground one of the party keeps a look 

 out from the top of a bush or rock, they also follow the 

 cattle in the pasture or a light on their backs to feed upon 

 the parasites. " The actions of this bird, both on the ground 

 and in trees, are like those of a Blackbird, it does not walk, 

 like the Common Starling, but hops, and when jumping from 

 branch to branch the carriage of the long tail increases the 

 resemblance. The nesting season was apparently over when 

 we reached Sokotra, early in December, for though we saw 

 a number of old birds accompanied by young, none seemed 

 to be nesting. Probably one egg is the full clutch, for we 

 never saw the parent birds with more than one young bird. 

 Several of the latter were secured and an interesting point 

 with regard to their plumage is that the young female has 

 the head and neck black like those of the male parent, the 

 grey plumage of the adult female being subsequently assumed. 

 The call-note of this species chee-chee-chee, chee, wlioTip, 

 uttered loud and quick, is much harsher, and quite different 

 from that of A. f rater. The female, when suddenly alarmed, 

 emits a curious, harsh ' scraich,' not unlike that made by 

 the Jay." Both this species and A., frater are known to 

 the natives of Sokotra as the " Shelhe." They have named 

 a specimen of this Starling from Abd-el-Kuri Island, Ainijdrus 

 creaglii. 



The species was discovered by Speke in Somaliland. 

 Heuglin met with it only near Berbera, and Mr. Elliot observed 

 it once at Jerato. Mr. Lort Phillips and Mr. Hawker have 

 procured specimens at Berbera in the gardens close to the 



