104 FEATHERED FRIENDS. 



Mynah is a gross feeder and its diet of a very miscel- 

 laneous kind, viz., rice, potato, carrot, meat, fruit ot 

 all sorts, egg, and, in a word, pretty well everything 

 that comes to table. An appetite so accommodating 

 might be thought an advantage, but evidently the bird 

 does not digest half of what it swallows, and I am now 

 speaking not only of the one I kept for a while, but 

 of others that have come under my observation from 

 time to time, both before and since, and that is what 

 makes the creature so objectionable in the house. 



It is supposed to be related to the Starling, and its 

 short tail together with the metallic reflections of its 

 plumage lend colour to the notion, but I far and away 

 prefer our native bird, as a linguist, whether a whistler, 

 or an inmate of the dwelling, while it has the further 

 advantage over the Mynah of being absolutely hardy 

 and requiring only ordinary care to preserve it in health. 



The scientific name of the Mynah is Gracula intermedia. 



