Birds of the Indian Hills 



species, so closely do they resemble one another. 

 Careful inspection, however, shows that the 

 jungle myna has a little patch of feathers in 

 front of the head over the beak. JEthiopsar 

 fuscus has all the habits of the common myna. 

 Like the latter, it struts about sedately in com- 

 pany with cattle in order to snatch up the 

 grasshoppers disturbed by the moving quad- 

 rupeds. It feeds largely on the insects that 

 infest the capsules of Lobelia excelsa, and is 

 often to be seen clinging, like a tit, to the stem 

 in order to secure the insects. Davidson gives 

 these mynas a very bad character, he declares 

 that they do immense damage to the fruit 

 gardens on the Nilgiris, so that without the 

 aid of nets, it is next to impossible to preserve 

 pears from their depredations. 



No other species of myna is common on the 

 Nilgiris. 



THE MUSCICAPID^: OR FLYCATCHER 

 FAMILY 



As in the Himalayas so on the Nilgiris the 

 family of flycatchers is well represented. In 

 one small Nilgiri wood I have come across no 

 fewer than six species of flycatcher. 



The beautiful little black-and-orange fly- 



200 



