THE ISLANDS OF THE BAY OF BENGAL. 223 



Davison, however, remarks that it "occurs both at the Anda- 

 mans and Nicobars, but in neither place is very common. It 

 keeps, as far as I have observed, exclusively to the forest, feeding 

 on the ground, turning up the leaves with its bill, exactly after 

 the fashion of a Black-bird. When disturbed, it generally hops 

 along the ground for a short distance, and then rises silently 

 flying some distance, and then settling either in a tree or on 

 the ground ;. occasionally I have heard it utter when alarmed a 

 sharp note, very like that uttered by Oreocincla nilgJiiriensis 

 under similar circumstances/' 



369. bis.— Turdus pallidus, Gm. (0.) 



Blyth states that he received a specimen of rufulus, Drapez, 

 which is the same species, from the Andamans, and I therefore 

 include it in this list, but I cannot hear of any one else having 

 observed or obtained it. 



372 bis.— Oreocincla inframarginata,.B/?/^. (0.) 



For original description, vide Stray Feathers, 1873, p. 70. 

 The specimen sent by Captain Hodge, then commanding the 

 Sesostris at Port Blair, in March 1860, to the Asiatic Society's 

 Museum, still remains unique. Apparently this species can 

 merely be a chance straggler to the islands. 



447 Us.— Hypsipetes nicobariensis, Moore. 

 (13.) 



This is a very local race, and scarcely, as far as our observa- 

 tions went, occurs, except in the Central Islands of the Nicobar 

 group, Teressa, Bompoka, Tillangchong, Camorta, Nancowry, 

 Trinkut, and Katchall. We did not observe it on the Great 

 Nicobar, Track or Treis, Meroe, Batty Malve or Car Nicobar, 

 but Davison tells me he saw it on Pilu Milu. On Tillang- 

 chong, when I first made its acquaintance, it seemed more 

 common than anywhere else. 



The following are the dimensions of twelve specimens, males 

 and females, measured in the flesh ; the sexes do not differ per- 

 ceptibly in size : — 



Length, 8-5 to 9-25 ; expanse, 11-82 to 12-75; wing, 3*75 

 to 4*25 ; tail, from vent, 3"5 to 4 - 25 ; tarsus, 0*7 to 08 ; bill, from 

 gape, l'O to 1*2 ; bill, at front, 0*75 to 0'8 ; wings, when closed, 

 reach to within from 2-25 to 2*5 of end of tail. 



The legs and feet are dark horny, greenish brown, or green- 

 ish plumbeous ; the bill deep horny brown ; lower mandible 

 and edge of upper mandible dull yellow; hides brown. 



