﻿394 
  Mr. 
  C. 
  Hose 
  on 
  the 
  Jvifaunn 
  of 
  

  

  Salvadori 
  considers 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  a 
  Starling, 
  akin 
  to 
  Gracula. 
  

   "When 
  I 
  go 
  back 
  I 
  intend 
  to 
  investigate 
  the 
  life- 
  history 
  of 
  

   this 
  cnrious 
  species 
  more 
  closely; 
  bnt 
  meanwhile 
  my 
  notes 
  on 
  

   its 
  habits 
  may 
  be 
  interesting, 
  and 
  at 
  present 
  I 
  am 
  inclined 
  

   to 
  agree 
  ■with 
  the 
  idea 
  thrown 
  ont 
  by 
  Count 
  Salvadori. 
  

   First 
  of 
  all 
  it 
  selects 
  a 
  hole 
  in 
  a 
  tree 
  for 
  its 
  nesting-place. 
  I 
  

   once 
  felled 
  a 
  tree 
  in 
  which 
  was 
  a 
  nest, 
  but 
  in 
  falling 
  all 
  the 
  

   eggs 
  were 
  hopelessly 
  smashed, 
  and 
  I 
  am 
  only 
  speaking 
  from 
  

   recollection 
  as 
  to 
  what 
  they 
  were 
  like. 
  I 
  did 
  not 
  know 
  at 
  

   the 
  time 
  of 
  the 
  interest 
  attaching 
  to 
  the 
  species, 
  and 
  so 
  did 
  

   not 
  take 
  particnliu* 
  notice 
  of 
  the 
  colour 
  of 
  the 
  eggs, 
  but, 
  to 
  

   the 
  best 
  of 
  my 
  recollection, 
  they 
  were 
  of 
  a 
  creamy 
  or 
  bluish 
  

   white. 
  

  

  This 
  bird 
  is 
  particularly 
  fond 
  of 
  a 
  small 
  berry, 
  which 
  is 
  

   bluish 
  black 
  in 
  coloiu- 
  and 
  about 
  the 
  size 
  of 
  a 
  pea. 
  It 
  shells 
  

   the 
  fruit 
  off 
  the 
  stone 
  with 
  its 
  bill 
  and 
  devours 
  the 
  pulp. 
  In 
  

   habits 
  it 
  is 
  decidedly 
  gregarious, 
  and 
  I 
  found 
  that 
  when 
  one 
  

   was 
  shot, 
  the 
  others 
  very 
  foolishly 
  Hew 
  down 
  to 
  their 
  dead 
  

   comrade. 
  Il 
  has 
  a 
  very 
  harsh 
  note, 
  but 
  at 
  times 
  it 
  utters 
  a 
  

   whistle 
  like 
  that 
  of 
  a 
  ^ly 
  nab. 
  The 
  native 
  name 
  is 
  '"^ 
  Tiong 
  

   balli,'' 
  which 
  means 
  " 
  False 
  ]Mynah,^' 
  " 
  Tiong 
  " 
  being 
  the 
  

   native 
  name 
  for 
  the 
  Myuah. 
  

  

  I 
  procured 
  several 
  young 
  birds 
  just 
  able 
  to 
  tly, 
  and 
  they 
  

   presented 
  some 
  very 
  curious 
  differences 
  from 
  the 
  adults. 
  

   When 
  quite 
  young 
  the 
  head 
  is 
  bald, 
  but 
  after 
  leaving 
  the 
  

   nest 
  some 
  scanty 
  red 
  feathers, 
  or 
  red-and- 
  black 
  ones, 
  make 
  

   their 
  appearance 
  on 
  the 
  crown, 
  which 
  is 
  otherwise 
  quite 
  

   smooth. 
  The 
  red 
  on 
  the 
  hind 
  neck 
  is 
  interspersed 
  with 
  

   black 
  spots. 
  The 
  eyelid 
  in 
  the 
  young 
  bii'd 
  is 
  black, 
  with 
  

   small 
  red 
  feathers 
  round 
  the 
  rim 
  : 
  none 
  of 
  this 
  is 
  seen 
  in 
  

   the 
  old 
  bird. 
  Instead 
  of 
  being 
  black, 
  the 
  ear-coverts 
  are 
  

   red 
  like 
  the 
  cheeks, 
  the 
  plumage 
  is 
  soft, 
  not 
  stiffened, 
  and 
  

   the 
  feathei's 
  of 
  the 
  fore 
  neck 
  likewise 
  are 
  not 
  stiff'ened 
  as 
  

   in 
  the 
  old 
  bird. 
  The 
  whole 
  of 
  the 
  centre 
  of 
  the 
  breast 
  is 
  

   red 
  : 
  but 
  the 
  thigh-feathers 
  are 
  black 
  instead 
  of 
  being 
  red. 
  

  

  65. 
  Tephrodorxis 
  gularis. 
  

  

  Tephrodornis 
  gularis 
  (Rafli.) 
  ; 
  Sharpe, 
  Cat. 
  B. 
  iii. 
  p. 
  278; 
  

   Everett, 
  t. 
  c. 
  p. 
  V2\. 
  

  

  