4-8 GARDEN AND AVIARY BIRDS. 



sloughs of snakes as a lining to the nest. This Mynah 

 is peculiar to India, and to th'e northern part of it ; it 

 does not extend to the east of the Bay of Bengal, but it 

 ascends the Himalayas to some height. It does not seem 

 to be truly migratory, but the changes frequently oc- 

 curring in the beds of rivers in India no doubt often 

 cause it to change its quarters in order to obtain a 

 suitable nesting-site. It also breeds in the sides of wells, 

 and I believe in Calcutta affects the Fort Buildings ; I 

 have seen it often on the Maidan. 



THE JUNGLE MYNAH (Aethiopsar fuscas}, distinguished 

 as Pahari or Jhonti maina in Hindustani and Jhont salik 

 in Bengali, is somewhat intermediate between the last 

 two species. It can, however, be easily distinguished 

 from both by having the face feathered all over, and 

 not showing any bare skin ; moreover the feathers stick 

 up in a small ragged crest at the root of the bill, whence 

 the native names, which mean "Crested Mynah." 

 The light markings on wing and tail are white as in the 

 Common Mynah, and the bill and legs are orange ; the 

 body colour is grey, but much darker and browner than 

 in the Bank Mynah, so that on the whole this bird 

 resembles the House-Mynah most, of its two relatives. 

 It it found all over our Empire, ascending the hills up 

 to eight thousand feet, but it affects jungle and builds 

 in holes in trees though often associating with the House- 

 Mynah and sometimes seen in towns. 



It is a curious fact that the birds of this species, 

 which inhabit Northern India and Burma, have bright 

 yellow eyes, while those from Southern India have pale 



