290 FIRST LIST OF THE BIRDS OP 



30th May, Male. — Length, 160 ; expanse, 18*50 ; wing, 575 ; 

 tail from vent, 9*33 ; tarsus, 1*25 ; bill from gape, 1*30 ; at 

 front, 1*20 ; closed wings fall short of end of tail, 733 ; weight, 

 4'25 ozs. Irides rich red brown ; legs horny ; soles greenish yel- 

 low ; bill bluish black, paler at gape ; mouth, inside bluish 

 black ; claws horny. 



Common, and a permanent resident. It hunts about trees, 

 bushes, and standing crops of jute and sugarcane, even entering 

 gardens in search of its food, and I have seen it frequently 

 enter a bungalow verandah, and from the chinks in the mat 

 walls take away bats, which they devour greedily. I have 

 never seen it eat fruit. In June I came across a nest in course 

 of construction ; it was high up on the topmost branches of a 

 mangoe tree, one of a clump, but it was eventually deserted. 



683.— Sturnopastor contra, Lin. 



25ih May 1878, Male.— Length, 9'25 ; expanse, 1550; 

 wing, 4*75 ; tail from vent, 3"0 ; tarsus, 1*16; bill from gape, 

 1'5'0, at front, l'l 2 ; closed wings fall short of end of tail, 

 1*17 ; weight, 3'1£ ozs. Orbits bright orange ; bill at base fine 

 red ; terminal half yellowish white ; legs dull ivory white. 



8th June, Male. — Length, 9*08 ; expanse, 15*0 ; wing, 460 ; 

 tail from vent, 3; tarsus, 1*25 ; bill from gape, 1*50 ; at front, 

 1*12 j closed wings fall short of end of tail, 1*75; weight, 

 3 ozs. Irides yellowish white ; orbital skin orange ; legs yellowish 

 white ; claws light horny ; bill, basal half deep orange, rest 

 white ; mouth, inside black. 



Very common, and a permanent resident. They eat fruit as 

 well as insects. Lay in May and June, building their huge nests 

 at various heights from the ground, and in any tree that 

 comes handy. I have often found the nests lined with 

 the white feathers of the paddy birds ; some of the feathers 

 being as much as six and seven inches iu length. The nests 

 were composed principally of " doob" grass ; three to four eggs 

 in each nest. 



684.— *Acridotheres tristis, Lin. 



Very common, and a permanent resident. Never found away 

 from the villages. Builds in holes of trees and buildings. Laying 

 four to five bluish eggs ; lay from May to July. If the first clutch 

 of eggs are taken away, they lay again. In my verandah a pair 

 had reared a young one, and on three occasions I saw one of the 

 parent birds bring small frogs, about 2^ inches extreme length, 

 to feed the young one. The parent bird would fly in and out 

 several times with the frogs, and when convinced that they 



