BIRDS 111 



The land in the neighbourhood of this coast, and probably 

 as far as the hills inland and on the eastern side, which rise 800 

 feet, is of very recent formation, and consists of almost undecayed 

 coral dibris mixed with sand and vegetable loam, a compound 

 scarcely sufficiently fertile to support a heavy forest at 

 present. 



Pigeons and glossy starlings were common, and we obtained 

 specimens of a small forest hawk which had not been met with 

 on the more open island {Astur, sp. nov.) : we shot also a new 

 chestnut myna {Sturnia, sp. nov.), somewhat similar to that met 

 with on Kar Nicobar. Crackles {Eulixbes intermedia), of which 

 only one specimen on Nankauri had yet been seen, were fairly 

 numerous, and the presence of a drongo, the first of its kind 

 observed since leaving the Andamans, was recorded. 



Numbers of Blyth's dove {Macropygia rufipennis) frequented 

 the scrub near the village. We were astonished to find the 

 crops of all those shot completely filled with large red chillies 

 only. It is almost impossible to conceive anything more pungent 

 than a red pepper, and the bird must have an extraordinary 

 interior to patronise such a diet exclusively. This unusual food 

 had no effect on the flesh, for its flavour in no way differed 

 from more rationally feeding members of the same species. 



Now and again we would have visitors on the schooner, for 

 in the evening people often came on board to watch us as 

 we sat preparing specimens, and although on these occasions 

 \ve generally obtained information from the natives concerning 

 the locality and their customs, they were, as a rule, more 

 bent on satisfying their own curiosity than our desire for 

 knowledge. 



One man showed us a ring, about \\ inches in diameter, of 

 a bone-like substance, and related a story about it of some large 

 jungle-dwelling animal, from whose eye, or eye-socket, it was 

 made. " This animal," he said, " was bigger than a pig, and 

 very scarce " ; further than that he was not intelligent enough 

 ±0 give a description ! 



Another native, " Yassan " by name, brought a letter originally 



