THE ISLANDS OF THE BAY OF BENGAL. 253 



690 quat.— Calornis Tytleri, Hume. (66.) 



In Stray Feathers for 1873, at p. 480, I fully explained 

 my reasons for separating the insular race under the name 

 above indicated, and on this head I need say no more here. 



Davison remarks that : — " At the Mcobars this bird is very 

 numerous ; in fact I think that it is both one of the most generally 

 distributed, and one that occurs in the greatest numbers there. 

 It keeps much to the cocoanut palms, but is also found in the 

 forest, and in the open country wherever this is dotted about 

 with large trees ; but I have never seen it descend to the 

 ground, or to low shrubs. Just as in a flock of Acridotheres fuscus 

 you will find several T. pac/odarum, so I have frequently seen 

 several of the present species mixed up with a party of T. anda- 

 manensis. It is a permanent resident at the Nicobars, breeding 

 in holes in trees, and in the decayed stumps of old cocoanut 

 palms, apparently from December to March. At the Anda- 

 mans it is much less numerous and is only met with in pairs 

 or in small parties, frequenting the same situations as it does 

 at the Nicobars. My impression is that at the Andamans it 

 is only a seasonal visitant ; it is a bird that I think it scarcely 

 possible to overlook, and yet I only met with it for 

 the first time at the Andamans after my return in April 

 to Port Blair from the Nicobars ; previous to going to the Nico- 

 bars I had spent nearly a month at Port Blair, and its vicinity, 

 keeping a good look-out for new birds the whole while, and yet 

 I never chanced to see it ; but on my return to Port Blair 

 I noticed it at once, and secured several specimens. It is 

 rather a noisy bird, and is continually, both on the wing, and 

 when seated, uttering its peculiar single note, which very much 

 resembles that of C. insidiator (which I shot at Acheen, North 

 Sumatra), but somewhat harsher, and perhaps a trifle 

 louder." 



I cannot say that I concur with Mr. Davison as to this 

 species not being a permanent resident of the Andamans ; at 

 any rate we have specimens killed there in every month from 

 December to August. We found it very common about Mac- 

 pherson's Straits, and also noticed several specimens on the Cocos. 

 Of course, it is much more numerous at the Nicobars than at 

 the Andamans, but at the former it is, I think, even more com- 

 mon than Acridotheres tristis is on the mainland of India. 

 Alike in flight, in its manner of congregating, and in the posi- 

 tions in which it sits, this species reminds one instantly of the 

 common starling, although it is very seldom seen as these latter 

 so often are, feeding on the ground. I think that " Tree-stare" 



El 



