Mynas and Ox-peckers 789 



wedge-shaped tail, and very soft, silky plumage; the sexes are alike, and the 

 young are brown until the first autumn. According to Mr. Gates the half dozen 

 Indian species are more arboreal than the true Starlings, being found con- 

 stantly on trees, feeding on insects and the nectar contained in flowers, but 

 also feeding on the ground a good deal. They go about in flocks, have chat- 

 tering notes, and make their nests in holes in trees or occasionally in the roofs 

 of houses. 



The sole tenant of its genus, the Gold-crest Myna (Ampelkeps coronatus} of 

 Cochin China and portions of India, is known by its moderate crest, large 

 naked space around the eyes, and bright black and yellow plumage, the latter 

 color being confined to the crown, chin, and throat ; it nests in deep holes in 

 forest trees. 



Passing over a number of other genera, we may describe briefly the Common 

 Myna (Acridotheres tristis), an abundant and familiar bird throughout the entire 

 Indian region and introduced into other parts of the world, notably the Hawai- 

 ian Islands, where it exists in vast numbers. About ten inches long, it has 

 the upper parts, breast, and sides brown, and the head and neck black, while 

 there is a bare patch of yellow behind the eye, the wings are barred with white, 

 and the lower parts are white; the short, blunt bill is yellow; the nasal and 

 frontal plumes are lengthened and erect or curled backward, and the crown- 

 feathers are elongated and pointed. They are mainly ground-haunting birds, 

 going about in large flocks and feeding largely upon insects. They have a great 

 variety of notes, some harsh and others very pleasing, and build their loose nests 

 in holes in houses or trees or sometimes they construct a bulky nest in the 

 branches of a tree; they usually lay five eggs. In the Hawaiian Islands this 

 species has the reputation of destroying the eggs and young of other birds, but 

 Mr. Henshaw has not seen them do this, and doubts if they do. 



Ox-peckers. Among the many forms of this family inhabiting the Dark 

 Continent we have space to mention only the Ox-peckers (Buphaga), so called 

 from their fondness for being around domestic and other cattle which they rid 

 of various parasites. They are quite unlike typical Starlings, having a stout, 

 nearly straight bill which is broad at the base, bare nostrils, long, pointed wings, 

 and especially strong feet with long curved and sharp claws by means of which 

 they cling to the cattle's sides; in color the plumage is mainly grayish brown. 

 The African Ox-pecker (B. africana), which inhabits northeastern Africa, Sene- 

 gambia, and the Transvaal, is generally met with in small flocks, and is some- 

 times called, the Rhinoceros Bird from its accompanying this animal. Of its 

 habits, Mr. Ayres writes as follows: "During our stay in the bush, Ox-peckers 

 appeared in numbers about our oxen, and actually ate large holes in the fleshy 

 parts of their backs, often one or two inches deep and two or three inches in 

 diameter, thus creating bad sores. They do this little by little and day by day, 

 attacking just that part of the back where the ox cannot swish them off with 

 its tail or dislodge them with its horns. This species is a pest to the hunter, 

 of whose approach ^it warns the buffalo and rhinoceros by its loud, harsh 

 note, which is perfectly understood by its huge friends. I have not seen any 



