182 CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE ORNITHOLOGY OF INDIA. 



parts of the Nicobar and Andaman groups, from Preparis on the 

 north to Grreat Nicobar on the south, and after a careful examin- 

 ation of these specimens, I do not see, as already explained in 

 my article on Die papageien, p. 23, how we can avoid separating 

 the Nicobar from the Andaman bird ; both sexes differ persistently 

 in size and in plumage, as fully explained, loc. cit. The Nico- 

 bar bird must stand as erytlirogenys, Blyth, and the Andaman 

 bird must stand as affinis, Tytler ; not that he knew the differ- 

 ence between the two, but because his was the first distinctive 

 name applied to birds from this locality. 



The following are dimensions of good adult specimens of our 

 present species, the Nicobar bird : — 



Males.— Length, 18 to 20 ; expanse, 22 to 23'25 ; wing, 7*4 

 to 7-7 ; tail, from vent, 10*25 to 1175 ; tarsus, 0'5 to 07 ; bill, 

 from nostril to point, - 96 to 1'04. 



Females. — Length, 15 to 165; expanse, 21'75 to 22*25; 

 wing, 7*3 to 7*5 ; tail, from vent, 8*25 to 9*25. 



The legs and feet are a dull earthy or brownish green ; in the 

 male the upper mandible is vermilion red, yellow at the tip, the 

 lower mandible is in some specimens horny black, in some 

 yellowish horny, and in some dusky dingy red. All this, be it 

 understood, in perfect adults in the most beautiful plumage. In 

 the adult females both mandibles are blackish. In the half- 

 fledged nestling bird (I give this on Davison's authority who saw 

 about 30 of them) and in the young birds just able to fly (of 

 which all of us saw numbers) both mandibles, apparently in both 

 sexes, are dull red, and certainly in the only fledging which 

 Davison preserved a nestling at most 14 days old, both mandibles 

 are red. The irides in this species vary unaccountably ; in some 

 specimens they were bright yellow, in some pale yellow, in some 

 creamy white, and in some pale brown. The orbital skin is 

 greenish brown, or brownish green. Bly th's original description 

 of this species will be found, Stray Feathers, 1873, p. 60. 



As in the case of caniceps, and other members of this genus, 

 Dr. Einsch is quite wrong about the sexes. I have, however, 

 already fully discussed this question (vide ante, pp. 23-25) and 

 need say no more about it here. 



Davison remarks : — " This species is excessively abundant 

 on all the islands of the Nicobar group. They wander about 

 much more than the preceding species, frequenting alike the 

 forest, gardens, and the mangrove swamps. They are generally 

 found in small flocks, but I have occasionally found them 

 singly, more often in pairs or small parties of four or five, but 

 then it has generally been in gardens when they were feeding. 



