THE ISLANDS OF THE BAY OP BENGAL. 247 



seen about Aberdeen this would scarcely appear to be well 

 authenticated. Davison lived there for about three weeks and 

 he never either saw or heard them. On Ross Island they breed 

 uuder the eaves of the houses and are very numerous. 



686. — Acridotheres fuscus, Wagler (0.) 



Beavan says that the dusky Myna, which was introduced by 

 Colonel Tytler from Burmah had, when he visited the islands 

 in 1865, largely increased, several being always visible on Ross 

 Island. I was only once on Boss Island in daylight myself, so 

 I cannot say anything on this subject, but Davison resided 

 there for more than a mouth off and on, and he did not observe 

 it, so it seems excessively doubtful whether it still survives, the 

 more so that Captain Wimberley who collected in the neigh- 

 bourhood for many months also apparently failed to procure 

 a specimen. 



683 ter.— Temenuchus erythropygius, Blyth. 

 (1.) 



This species, which is very distinct from T. andamanensis, 

 with which Blyth at one time identified it, is apparently very 

 rare. Davison never once met with it during his lengthened 

 sojourn at, and voyages from island to island of, the Nico- 

 bars. We only saw two specimens, and these at Car Nicobar, 

 of which Mr. Ball shot one. This proved to be a male, and 

 the following are the dimensions and other particulars recorded 

 from the fresh bird. It will be seen that independent of its 

 widely different plumage, it is perhaps a somewhat larger bird 

 than andamanensis, which by the way occurs equally both at 

 the Andamans and in the Nicobars : — 



Length, 9*25 ; expanse, 14*25 ; wing, 4*4; tail, from vent, 

 3'25 ; tarsus, 1*0; bill, from gape, 1*2; bill, at front, 0'94; 

 wings, when closed, reach to within 2*0 of end of tail. 



The legs and feet are pale fleshy yellow ; bill gamboge 

 yellow, smalt blue at base ; irides opalescent white. The 

 entire head, including chin, throat and ear-coverts, the neck all 

 round, breast, abdomen, sides, upper back, and wing lining, 

 pure silky white ; middle back aud scapulars brownish or grey- 

 ish white; rump and upper tail-coverts, vent and lower tail- 

 coverts, two-thirds of the outer web and one-third of the 

 inner web of the exterior tail feathers, and a gradually diminish- 

 ing tipping to the rest of the tail feathers, (which tipping on 

 the central pair is only about O'l in breadth), deep chesnut; 

 the rest of the tail and the wings black, or blackish hair 

 brown, strongly glossed with a dark metallic green lustre; edge 



