96 CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE ORNITHOLOGY OF INDIA. 



croak, croak, blended into a continuous murmur heard distinctly 

 above the grinding surf. 



Hundreds might easily have been shot. As it was the 

 whole party — Native and European — were loaded, and despite 

 unavoidable losses at the time of re-embarking some 70 were 

 safely brought on board. 



These were not, however, the only birds obtained, Blytb/s 

 Imperial Pigeon (C '. insularis) , the Pied Fruit-pigeon (C.bicolor), 

 Megapods, the Nicobar Oriole and Paroquet, the Pectoral 

 Sun-bird, the Black-naped Azure Flycatcher, Budytes flava, 

 with its conspicuous white eye streak and the White-bellied Sea- 

 eagle, were all seen and shot, but the total number of all the 

 other birds on the island put together could not nearly have 

 equalled that of the Nicobar pigeons, which were variously 

 estimated at from two to ten thousand, the latter being probably 

 nearer the mark than the former. Perfect inaccessibility and 

 the existence on the sland just at the breeding season of an 

 unlimited supply of very easily procured food, specially suitable 

 for feeding the young, are probably the main causes which 

 have led this species to adopt this one tiny solitary islet as 

 its special home. At other times, and when found elsewhere, 

 the Nicobar Pigeon, we are told, feeds chiefly on the large fruits 

 of the various wild nutmegs and allied groups, but these would 

 be awkward for feeding the young, whereas the small white 

 albuminous seed, which the undergrowth (and we never met 

 with anything like it elsewhere) here produces in such enor- 

 mous quantities, and with which we found the crops alike of 

 young and old crammed, seems specially adapted for this 

 purpose. Doubtless the flocks that we saw leaving in the early 

 moraine, and steering direct for Car Nicobar, Tillangchong, and 

 the central group, were the parents of the more advanced 

 young ones, (of which we saw so many,) already quite able to 

 shift for themselves, out for the whole day in quest of their 

 favourite food. But strong as is the flight of these Pigeons, 

 it is clear that sitting birds could not traverse long distances 

 in search of food, nor could any locality be found in any of 

 the islands where the wild nutmegs are sufficiently plentiful, 

 within any reasonable compass, to feed so vast a company of 

 Pigeons for several consecutive weeks. These birds being, as 

 it seems, truly gregarious at the breeding season they were 

 compelled to choose some locality yielding, about their breeding 

 time, and within a limited space, an almost inexhaustible supply 

 of food. Neither we nor Davison have yet met with any 

 other such locality elsewhere in the islands, and remarkable 



