62 KAR NICOBAR 



or graceful salutes such as one would meet with amongst 

 strange Malays or natives of India. 



The forest at Sawi was open, and although of a heavy 

 description, grew on land that seemed of very recent forma- 

 tion. It contained some of the finest specimens of urostigma 

 trees we had ever seen, whose many aereal roots, springing 

 from a wide expanse of ground, met far overhead in support 

 of immense masses of foliage. 



In this heavy jungle we obtained specimens of Astur butleri, 

 a little forest hawk with back and wings of a beautiful dark 

 grey, allied species to which are found in several of the other 

 islands. Here, too, we met with Carpophaga insularis, a 

 variety of a widely-spread fruit-pigeon, C. CBnea, from which 

 it differs only in having a plumage slightly less bright. We 

 made acquaintance also with PalcBornis erythrogenys, an ex- 

 ceedingly pretty parrot, and the only bird of its kind occurring 

 in the Nicobars until P. caniceps is reached in the southern 

 islands ; but of the mound-building megapodes we had expected 

 to find, there was no trace, although it was said they occurred 

 in the middle of the island. 



We obtained in the jungle one specimen of a hitherto un- 

 known fruit - bat {Pteropus faunuhis) ; but of rats, although 

 they are probably numerous, one only was trapped {Mus 

 burrulus, sp. nov.) ; crabs in nearly every instance making off 

 with the baits. 



As a rendezvous after our collecting excursions, we generally 

 chose " Temple Villa," where we could sit and chat with the 

 agent on the manners and customs of the natives among whom 

 he lived, and drink the water of young coconuts freshly plucked 

 from the trees surrounding the bungalow. 



The coconut of the Nicobars, although small, is nowhere 

 excelled for sweetness and flavour, and on reaching the schooner, 

 drenched with perspiration after a morning's wandering in the 

 forest, and perhaps a long row under the hot midday sun, we 

 daily made appreciative trial of them the moment we stepped 

 on board. 



