186 CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE ORNITHOLOGY OF INDIA. 



and the central portion of the crown is observable. There 

 is no mistake about this, as we have taken the birds off the 

 nest. Then he describes the rump and upper tail coverts as "Diis- 

 terpurpurroth." I cannot tell what the colors may be in dried 

 and faded specimens, but in adults, in good plumage, these parts 

 are the most brilliant crimson. Then again he remarks that 

 this species, and the Ceylon bird L. indica of Kuhl, are suffi- 

 ciently distinguishable by the much shorter and non-elongated 

 bill of the latter. Individual birds of both these species vary 

 a good deal in length of bill, but if Dr. Finsch compares a 

 score of specimens of the two species, he will, I think, find 

 little to chose between the bills of the two as regards length. 

 As a whole, the bills of the Ceylon birds seem to me not merely 

 deeper, but a shade longer also. 



This species is a permanent resident in the islands. 



On the northern shores of the Great Nicobar, Mr. Wood-Mas- 

 son saw and watched, but failed to secure, a Loriculus, which 

 may have belonged to this species or to the Malayan galgulus. 



Davison remarks : — " This little loriket is tolerably abundant 

 about Port Blair, and is also found on some of the other islands 

 of the Andaman group ; but I did not meet with it at the 

 Nicobars. I have always found it in pairs, never singly or in 

 parties ; it is a very lively bird flying from tree to tree uttering 

 quickly its sharp shrill note. It is amusing to watch a number 

 of these birds in a cage ; they start from the bottom of the cage, 

 climb up the side, then along the top till they get to about the 

 centre of the roof, where they hang head downwards for a second 

 or two, then fly down on to the perch, or the bottom of the cage, 

 and recommence the ascent, this they will continue for an hour 

 at a time. Like all the lorikets they sleep hanging head down- 

 wards and usually with their heads tucked under their wings. 

 Numbers are caught by the native convicts, and any number of 

 live birds can generally be obtained in the bazar at Ross Island. 

 The natives catch them by putting one into a small cage, which 

 is fastened to a long thin bamboo, the cage is covered over 

 with small green branches, and from the top of the cage pro- 

 jects a small dry branch, or blackened stick with another 

 piece of stick tied across it at right angles, cross fashion. 

 This twig or stick is then covered with bird-lime, arid the bam- 

 boo is stuck upright in the ground. The call of the caged bird 

 soon attracts some other, which flying to the spot in variably 

 settles on the exposed limed branch, and is of course caught. 



'' The birds were breeding before I left the Andamans. On the 

 19th April while returning to Ross from Port Mouat, a Burman 



