STARLING-LIKE MYNAHS. 



lung Coast (The Ibis, 1904, p. 238), says: "One of 

 the commonest resident birds, breeding in March, when 

 it builds a large untidy nest of coarse grass, roots, and 

 .dry pandanus-fibres. lined with finer root-fibres. Two 

 .or three nests are often placed in a tree almost bare of 

 leaves, where they are conspicuous objects for miles 

 .around." 



Messrs. La Touche and Rickett, describing the nest- 

 ing of birds in Fohkien (The Ibis, 1905, pp. 39, 40), 

 observe: "The nest is a large domed structure of 

 irregular shape, composed of dry grass, straw, leaves, 

 twigs, and, in fact, any materials that come handy, 

 .even such as string, paper, hair, and rags. It is very 

 conspicuously placed in some pine or tall tree at a good 

 height from the ground. 



" The eggs are laid in April, and number from four to 

 six in a clutch. They are greenish blue, with a con- 

 siderable amount of gloss. In shape they vary from 

 narrowly ovate to oval. Thirty-nine specimens average 

 1.25in. by .9lin. There are two, or perhaps three, 

 broods in a season. 



" These birds' antics at pairing-time are most absurd 

 to watch. One sidles up to its mate uttering its ever- 

 lasting ' tee.-a-chee ' with widely open bill ; the other 

 sits with puffed-out plumage, its bill buried in the 

 breast-feathers 1 ; then follows a sham squabble, consist- 

 ing of much snapping of beaks and playful peckings, 

 after which they fly off to another tree and repeat the 

 performance. Young birds when following their parents 

 constantly utter a harsh ' tcherk.' " 



Although Russ overlooks the fact, two examples of 

 this Mynah were purchased for our Zoological Gar- 

 dens in 1865, and a third' in 1873; in 1876 Charles 

 -Jamrach received two specimens and Mr. Schlechtendal 

 obtained a specimen. In 1878 the director of the Berlin 

 .Aquarium exhibited two as great rarities at the 

 ".iEgmtha " Exhibition in Berlin, Miss Hagenbeck exhi- 

 bited two in 1887 at the " Ornie " Exhibition, and in 

 "1891 G. Reiez, of Berlin, secured an old bird and a youngi 

 (one. Doubtless other examples of this common Chinese 

 .species have come to hand. 



BLACK-WINGED 'MYNAH (Graculipica melanoptera}. 



White here and there (but especially on the 

 'head, rump, thighs, and_ under tail-coverts tinted 

 with creamty buff) ; bastard wing and primaries black, 

 the latter white at base ; secondaries bronze-brown, 

 with bronze-green edges; tail greenish-black, tipped 

 with white ; the small tenth primary white below ; 

 bill and feet yellow ; irides nearly white. Female 

 .-smaller, but similarly coloured. Hab., Java, Madura. 

 Mr. F. Nicholson (The Ibis, 1881, p. 153) says: 

 "Roof of mouth black. Seeds of rice .in stomach." 

 "The name given to it by the natives appears to be 

 "Kalung putih " or " Kalery Cumbang." Dr. Rues 

 -says that this species was first imported alive in 1862, 

 when it arrived in the Amsterdam Zoological Gardens, 

 and in 1891 two beautiful examples again reached the 

 same gardens. The dealer, G. Reisz, of Berlin, first 

 secured it in 1891, but only one example, which pre- 

 :ently found its way to the collection of Prince Ferdi- 

 nand of Bulgaria. Miss Hagenbeck exhibited one 

 at the "Ornis" Exhibition in 1893. Since then it ha.s- 

 come to hand singly here and there, and has reached 

 'the Berlin Zoological Gardens. 



COMMON MYNAH (Acridotheres tristis}. 



The prevailing colour is -vinous brown, deeper, richer, 

 and more glossy above than below ; the crown, nape, 

 "lorss, ear-coverts, and sides of face are glossy greenish 

 black ; the feathers on the forehead erected, but hardly 



forming a crest ; eyelids black, but the naked patch 

 below and behind the eye bright ochre-yellow ; the 

 chin, throat, and breast black, less glossy than on the 

 upper parts, and seeming almost ashy in certain lights ; 

 bastard- wing black, some of the feathers white exter- 

 nally ; primary coverts white ; primaries black, white 

 at the base, and brownish internally, the inner 

 secondaries blackish, but the outer ones deep glossy 

 brown ; tail dull black, the central feathers slightly 

 greenish, the remainder tipped with white, which in- 

 creases in width from* within outwards ; centre of abdo- 

 men brownish white ; vent and under tail-coverts pure 

 white ; bill and feet ochre-yellow, the claws browner, 

 iris chestnut brown. The female is very like the male, 

 but the bill appears to be slightly longer and the wings 

 are shorter. Hab., Afghanistan, India generally, 

 Burma, and Tenassenni ; introduced into Mauritius. 



The common l&ynah is not specially striking in 

 colour ; it is about the size of a Blackbird ; Jerdon gives 

 the total length as "about lOin.," and Sharpe as 9in. 



According to Jerdon this is "one of the commonest 

 birds in the country, affecting towns, villages, and the 

 neighbourhood of man rather than the jungles. It 

 roosts generally in large numbers, in some particular 

 tree in a village or cantonment, and morning and 

 evening keeps up a noisy chattering concert. Soon after 

 sunrise the birds disperse, and in parties of two, four, 

 six. or more, wing their way in different directions to 

 their various feeding-grounds. Some remain about vil- 

 lages and cantonments, looking out, like the crows, for 

 any fragments of cooked rice that may be thrown out 

 by the side of a house, or even coming into a verandah 

 for that purpose ; others attend flocks of cattle, which 

 they follow while grazing, picking up the grasshoppers 

 disturbed by their feet, while some hunt for grain or 

 fruit." "It has a great variety of notes, some of them 

 pleasing and musical, others harsh ; some have a reso- 

 nant metallic sound." 



This bird breeds, like our English Starling, in nooks 

 and under eavee of houses, or in holes in trees; it lays 

 four or five pale bluish-green eggs. 



The Common Mynah is freely imported, and' there- 

 fore by no means expensive ; Russ, however, puts the 

 price in Germany at from 15 to 20 marks, and when to 

 a certain degree tamed, at as high a figure as 45 marks. 

 If I remember rightly my example cost me 5s. ; it was 

 certainly not much more. 



I purchased an example of this species about 1893 

 or 1894. and kept it in an aviary with Blue-birds and 

 one or two other species with which I found it agree 

 very well. It did not, however, prove a very interesting 

 or specially intelligent pet; possibly it may have been 

 out of eorts, for it certainly did' not live many months. 



In captivity the Common. Mynah is said to become 

 very tame, and to learn both words and sentences ; but 

 my somewhat short experience of the species did not 

 enable me to confirm these statements, which are 

 doubtless true. 



In the trade this is often called the " Brown Mynah " ; 

 but the latter (A. fuscus) has no naked patch about 

 the eyes, though in other respects, as in its habits, it 

 is very similar. It is said to vary also in the colouring 

 of the iris, which is either pale grey or yellow, accord- 

 ing to whether it is caught in Southern or Northern 

 India. 



INDIAN MYNAH (Acridotheres ginginianus). 



Above dark grey, rather paler on rump and upper 

 tail-coverts, darker on lesser wing-coverts ; median 

 coverts greenish-black edged with grey ; greater coverts 

 and flights black, green externally, somewhat bronzy on 

 secondaries; bastard wing black, reddish-buff exter- 



