TYPICAL MYNAHS. 



49 



.heard on board chip, with the exception of words, not for the most part the tops of tall trees ; it associates in 



one of which did it ever learn to speak, but its imita- 

 tions were marvellously realistic, its favourite sounds 

 being the action of the screw when the vessel is sta- 

 tionary, the soft splash of a rope dropping on the 

 surface of the water, and lastly those objectionable 

 sounds produced by bad sailors in rough weather. I 

 fed this bird on my usual soft food, fruit, and insects, 

 sometimes adding a few scraps of raw meat, but I do 

 not recommend the last item, although it suits the 

 species of Acridotheres. It died through the bursting 



MALE AND FEMALE OF THE GREATER HILL-MYNAH. 



of the great blood-vessel of the heart, from sudden 

 fright caused by a Starling alighting on its back in the 

 -dark. 



CEYLON MYNAH (Eulabes ptilogenys). 



Black, glossed with purple on the crown, sides of 

 liead, neck all round, hind neck, mantle, broad borders 

 of greater wing-coverts, and narrow margins to inner- 

 most secondaries, tail, throat, chest, thighs, edges of 

 under wing-coverts and axillaries towards edge of wing ; 

 glossed with, green on back, rump, upper tail-coverts, 

 scapulars, lesser wing-coverts, fore neck, Ijreast, and re- 

 maining underparts ; primaries with the usual white 

 patch; wattles apparently -wanting, judging from Col. 

 Lee-cre's illustration ; lappets bright yellow ; bill orange- 



r.T TIT 1 1 _ .1 * 1*1- 



small parties, and is very partial to the sides of deep 

 ravines, lofty precipices, and overhanging woods. It is 

 fond of launching itself out into mid-air from- these 

 dizzy heights, uttering its shrill metallic-sounding 

 whistle and loud calls, and. circling round, it returns 

 to its lofty perch on the top of some huge Doon-tree, 

 and there continues the exercise of its vocal powers. 

 Its well-known voice consists of a piercing and not 

 unharmonious whistle repeated several times and then 

 followed 1 by a series of loud guttural calls, some of 

 which resemble the syllables choooke, 

 chi-ooope ; these are, however, only 

 uttered as call-notes while it is perched. 

 The Mynah talks well, and is eagerly 

 sought after as a caged bird, and much 

 prized by the Kandyans as a pet, 

 as it is extremely difficult to procure 

 from the nest. It is a restless bird, par- 

 ticularly towards roosting-time, and in 

 forests where it is abundant I have often 

 seen it roaming about in small parties, 

 dashing down the gloomy gullies, and 

 sweeping backwards and forwards with 

 frequent rapid descents, which cause a 

 long rustling sound. After alighting on 

 the tallest tree to be found, these restless 

 parties indulge in sundry piercing 

 whistles, and then start off again on their 

 peregrinations until a suitable spot for 

 their night's quarters in the foliage of 

 some vast tree is found. 



" In its habits it is, like the rest of the 

 Grackles, entirely arboreal, and its diet 

 is frugivorous. Among the many fruits 

 to be found in the forests of Ceylon 

 there are none of which it is so fond as 

 the wild cinnamon and the nutmeg. 

 The latter they swallow whole, digesting 

 the mace from the exterior of the nut, 

 which they afterwards reject. The habit 

 ascribed 'by Layard of frequenting pas- 

 tures and perching on the backs of cattle 

 probably appertains to the Common 

 Mynah (Acridotheres melanosternus) , for 

 it is essentially an arboreal bird, and 

 does not descend to the ground at 

 all. 



" Nidification. This species breeds in June, July, 

 and August, laying its eggs in a hole in a rotten tree, 

 or in one which has been previously excavated by the 

 Yellow-fronted Barbet or Red Woodpecker. It often 

 nests in the sugar or kitool palm, and in one of these 

 trees in the Peak forest I took its eggs in the month 

 of August. There was an absence of all nest or lining 

 at the bottom of the hole, the eggs, which were two 

 in number, being deposited on the bare wood. The 

 female was sitting at the time, and was being brought 

 fruit and berries by the male bird. While the eggs 

 were being taken the birds flew round repeatedly, and 

 settled on an adjacent tree, keeping up a loud whistling. 

 The eggs are obtuse-ended ovals, of a pale greenish- 

 blue ground-colour (one being much paler than the 



u . 



red, the upper mandible black from gape to nostril and ofcher) & spar ingly spotted with large and small spots of 

 the lower for nearl half its lenth feet amboe- " ral 



the lower for nearly half its length ; feet gamboge- 

 yellow, claws blackish ; indes greyish-white dappled 

 with brown. Female said to be larger, but certainly 

 with weaker bill : irides white or yellowish-white. Hab., 

 <3evlon 

 ' 



and blotched over this with a few neutral 

 brow ^ ge . blotg ^ measure from 1.3 to 

 1 32 ^^ ^ len ^ by .96 to 6.99 in breadth." 



. , ,. , 



Russ says that hitherto this bird has, to his know- 



n 



Col. 'Legae thus describes its habits ("Birds of Cey- ledge, only been represented in the Amsterdam Zoo- 

 Ion," Vol. II., p. 686) : "This handsome bird frequents logical Gardens. 



