THE ISLANDS OF THE BAY OF BENGAL. 293 



Andamans, Camorta, Montschall, and other islands of the 

 Nicobar group. We only preserved seven specimens, and all 

 these curiously enough proved to be females ; one obtained on 

 the 29th April was nearly in full breeding plumage. 

 The following were the dimensions of the females : — ■ 

 Length, 9 to 9'5; expanse, 185 to 19 j wing, 5*75 to 625 ; 

 tail, from vent, 2*5 ; tarsus, 1 to 1*05 ; bill, from gape, 1 to 1*1 ; 

 weight, 4 ozs. 



Davison says : — " I met with the Turnstone in small flocks 

 about the sea shore, both at the Andamans and Nicobars. 

 One specimen that I got on the 29th April at Aberdeen is 

 very far advauced in the breeding plumage.'''' 



861.— Dromas ardeola, .Payk. (4.) 



During our visit to the Andamans this species was cer- 

 tainly not common. I myself only observed it in oue locality, 

 aud that was in Macpherson's Straits where we shot four 

 specimens. During all his journeying throughout the islands 

 Davison never once saw a specimen, but during our absence 

 at the Nicobars Lieutenant Ramsay met with a small party at 

 Haddo, Port Blair, and shot the whole of them. Where we met 

 with them, they were very wild. At low water feeding about on 

 a coral reef, aud at high water collecting together in a dense 

 crowd as closely packed as they could stand on a single iso- 

 lated rock standing out in the midst of deep water some two 

 or three feet, at most, above high water level. 



The following are the dimensions and other particulars re- 

 corded in the flesh from the four specimens that we obtained. 

 The sexes do not differ in size : — ■ 



Length, 15-65 to 16 ; expanse, 28"5 to 295 ; wing, 8'05 

 to 8-3; tail, from vent, 275 to 3; tarsus, 3"5 to 375 ; bare 

 part of tibia, 1*5 to V87 ; bill, from gape, 275 to 2*8; at 

 front, 2*2 to 2'35 ; wings, . when closed, reach to from within 

 0'25 of, to 05 beyond, end of tail; weight, from 15 to 17 ozs. 



The legs and feet are pale glaucous blue ; the feet generally 

 more glaucous than the legs ; claws and bill black ; irides 

 deep brown. 



Dr. Jerdon's description of the adult is scarcely satisfac- 

 tory to me, and he does not describe the young at all. 



In the adult there is a narrow black ring round the eye, 

 only conspicuous at the anterior and posterior angles; the 

 whole of the rest of the head and neck all round, the whole 

 of the under parts, including axillaries, wing lining, lower 

 tail coverts, and whole lower surface of the quills, except the 



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