54. CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE ORNITHOLOGY OF INDIA. 



their clattering amongst the leaves as they alighted, their flut- 

 tering and the whirr of their wings as they flew off, he could see 

 nothing. He fired once or twice by the sound, but I do not 

 believe the shot ever got through the dense, unbroken, massive 

 sheet of foliage that protected them. His shots, however, disturb- 

 ed two Burmese Kingfishers, of one of which I caught a passing 

 glimpse through the mangroves in whose shade I was resting 

 and rolled it over, a splendid specimen; and immediately after- 

 wards I shot a small Woodpecker, running up a stem, that I took 

 at the moment for P. Macei, but which proved to be the Anda- 

 man Spotted Woodpecker (P. andamanensis.) 



Part of the shore of this islet was rocky and free from man- 

 groves, and there we shot a couple of Common Sandpipers (T. 

 hypoleucos .) 



Returning, as the sun was setting, towards the eastern 

 mouth of the Straits, we were joined by the party that landed 

 in Escape Bay ; they brought several specimens of the White- 

 breasted Kingfisher (H. smyrnensis,) conspicuous for their 

 wonderfully dark ■and brilliant coloring, unlike what I have 

 seen in any birds of this species procured elsewhere in Asia ; 

 the Red-whiskered Bulbul (0. emeria), the Indian Red-breasted 

 Paroquet (P. fasciatus), the Andaman Minivet (P. andama- 

 nensis), the Small Indian Minivet (P. perec/rinus) , the Anda- 

 man Kin^crow (D. andamanensis), and Tree-stare (Calornis 

 Tytleri). Along the shore they found the Common Sandpiper 

 abundant, and they saw, but failed to secure, a large Stone- 

 plover, clearly an Esacus* but scarcely I should think our Indian 

 recurim-ostris, this being essentially a fresh water bird, haunting 

 the banks of rivers, and never, as far as I yet know, (of course 

 I write subject to correction) the sea coast. 



We anchored for the night in mid channel ; a soft cool air 

 sprung up, and we were soon enjoying a repast such as only 

 native servants can concoct, al fresco at half an hour's notice, 

 with none of the means and appliances which the humblest cook 

 in the west deems indispensable. 



Within five minutes of our anchoring some of the convict 

 crew had lines and a little net out, and in another five minutes 

 they had pulled out a couple of large buckets full of miracu- 

 lously colored fish, things which had I merely seen them in 

 paintings I should have pronounced Turneresque dreams of 

 piscine impossibilities ; such shapes, such colors, above all such 

 incredible combinations of colors. They were mostly I think 



* This proved, when we later obtained specimens at the Cocos. to be the Australian 

 JE. magnirostris. 



