THE STARLINGS OR MYNAHS. 53 



common Pawi and reminds one of a miniature Sea-gull, 

 being white with a pale grey back and black quills. It 

 makes a nice aviary bird, having a pretty note as well as 

 striking plumage. 



The ordinary grey-headed species has nothing parti- 

 cular to recommend it in that capacity, nor is it a parti- 

 cularly interesting bird in a wild state. It spends most 

 of its time in the trees, feeding on fruit, though it will 

 sometimes come down on the ground and run about 

 after insects like other Mynahs. But it cannot pretend to 

 compare with them either in attractiveness or utility. 



THE HILL MYNAH (Euldbes intermedia) is typical of a 

 group of Mynahs sometimes as in the Fauna of British 

 India volumes ranked as a distinct family, which keep to 

 the trees altogether and feed entirely on fruit. They do 

 not afiect human habitations at all, build in holes in 

 trees, laying spotted eggs, and are not able to walk 

 like the ordinary Mynahs, progressing on the ground only 

 by hops. The well-known species mentioned above is a 

 very heavy, thick-set bird, with short wings and tail, deep 

 short bill and short strong legs and feet. The head 

 has a band of bare skin on each side, irregular in outline 

 and ending in loose flaps at the back. The length of the 

 bird is about a foot ; its plumage is black, richly glossed 

 with purple and green, and with a white band on the 

 pinion-quills. The bill is rich orange-red, and the feet and 

 bare skin of the head bright yellow ; the eyes are dark. 



Young birds have a dead-black plumage, and the bare 

 skin on the head lies close throughout, and does not end 

 in the loose flaps behind. 



