BIRDS OF TENASSERIM. 329 



471.— Oriolus indicus, Jerd. (61). 



Thatone ; Moulmein ; Meetan ; Amherst ; Tea ; Tavoy ; Mergui ; Tenasserim 

 Town ; Bopyin ; Pakchan ; Bankasoon ; Malewoon. 



Common throughout the central and southern portions of 

 the province, but apparently migrates when the raius set in early 

 in May. 



[This Oriole is not uncommon where it does occur, frequenting 

 gardens, secondary, and thin tree jungle, but apparently avoid- 

 ing the denser portions of the forest. It is less numerous 

 perhaps in the south about Bankasoon and Malewoon than 

 further north. From Mergui southwards it is most abundant 

 during the cold weather, but becomes rare in February and 

 March, and by the end of April all had disappeared from 

 Mergui. They eat fruit exclusively I believe, and are always to 

 be found about fruit-bearing trees. Their clear 5 -note whistled 

 call common to all the seven species I know, is known to every 

 one.— W. D.] 



Mr. Sharpe has proposed for this bird, Cat. III., 197, the 

 name difusus, on the ground that chinensis, the other name com- 

 monly applied to this species, is undoubtedly referable to the 

 Oriole of the Phillipines (acrorhynchus , Vigors.) and that Brisson's 

 name indicus is totally inadmissible, as his description refers to a 

 golden Oriole with blue in its coloration. But this argument is in 

 my opinion defective. Jerdon says in his illustrations of Indian 

 Ornithology that he had originally called the bird sinensis, but had 

 come to the conclusion that the name acrorhynchus referred to the 

 true chinensis, and he adds, "I have therefore given our Peninsular 

 species the appellation of indicus, partly because I consider that 

 the 0. indicus of Brisson and others may possibly refer to this, 

 though faultily described/' 



This name, therefore, is one of Jerdon's own. 



Brisson's specific names, according to the Code, go for nothing. 

 No one else's name of indicus, given subsequent to 1766, and prior 

 to Jerdon's, stands for any known Oriole, and therefore clearly 

 according to the British Association Code, Jerdon's name indicus 

 must be retained for the species. 



471 ter— Oriolus tenuirostris, Blytfo (3). Descr. 

 S. F., Ill,, 132. 



(Tonghoo, Lloyd; Karennee, Earns.) Kollidoo; Mooleyit; Malewoon. 



So extremely rare that we cannot guess at its distribution. 

 All the three specimens above referred to, (and these are all that 

 Davison has seen during more than four years,) were shot in dense 

 forest in dark ravines. Davison knows nothing of its habits. 



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