THE ISLANDS OF THE BAY OF BENGAL. 301 



specimens, in adults in. full plumage, the white on the breast is 

 confined to a comparatively narrow central stripe, which ceases 

 entirely on the upper abdomen, where the dark slatey color of the 

 sides stretches right across. Thirdly in the Indian birds the lower 

 belly, vent, feathers and tibial plumes are usually white, or 

 only faintly tinged rufescent ; whereas in the island birds these 

 parts are chesnut colored, only slightly paler than the lower tail 

 coverts. 



If these differences were persistent at all ages and in every 

 case they would probably be sufficient to constitute a distinct 

 species, but it appears to be only in the perfect adult that these 

 distinctions are most clearly brought out. I have a young bird 

 from the Cocos which is not separable from a young Indian bird, 

 and another from Camorta (Nicobar) which only exhibits, in a less 

 pronounced degree, the characteristic differences of the adult 

 island bird. The Acheen bird resembles the Indian, but there 

 is nothing surprising in this since the Acheen Halcyon is chloris 

 like that of the Sunderbunds, while the intermediate Nicobar 

 bird is occipitalis. 



Four females measured gave results as follows : — 



Length, 12-3 to 14; expanse, 19'5 to 2125 ; wing, 6 to 6'5 ; 

 tail, 2*75 to 3 ; tarsus, 1*25 to 1*5 ; bill, from gape, 1*5 to 1*8 ; 

 weight, 8 to 13 ozs. The legs and feet varied from chrome to 

 deep yellow ; the irides varied from light reddish brown to pale 

 light red ; the bill from dull or pale green to lemon yellow ; and 

 the frontal plate and base of culmen from dull to bright red. 



As far as my experience went these birds were entirely 

 confined to the small inland fresh water ponds and swamps, 

 which are met with occasionally in the jungle, and which form 

 the favorite haunts also of Ardetta cinnamomea and sinensis 

 and Goisakms melanolophas. 



Davison says : — " Of all the birds of this family that occur 

 on the Andamans and Nicobars this is the most common. It is 

 widely distributed over the islands. I have found it in the 

 secondary jungle, sugarcane and paddy fields, along the edges 

 of mangrove swamps, in fact everywhere where there is cover. 

 It is when alarmed very difficult to flush. It is very noisy and 

 may be heard calling in the morning and evening, and often 

 long after dark." 



This bird is of course a permanent resident. 



910.— Ortygometra pygmsea, Naum. (1.) 



Davison obtained a single specimen of this. He remarks : — 

 " I have only seen one specimen, a female, of this little rail, at 



l 1 



