NOTES ON ANDAMAN BIRDS. 157 



340. Dissemuriu paradiseus. — The Larger Racket-tailed Drongo. 

 Common in high forest. Has a fine series of melodius calls. The Andaman 

 variety of this species shows no trace of the conspicuous frontal crest which 

 forms so marked a feature in the Sub-Himalayan race. It breeds in May 

 building its nest generally high up on the more or less inaccessible branches 

 of big trees. The eggs are similar to those found in India and the mean of 

 3 eggs gave as measurements 1-13" x 0'82." 



393. Arundivax a'edon. — The Thick-billed Warbler. 

 Fairly common in and around Port Blair throughout the cold weather. 

 Frequents low scrub where it carefully avoids exposing itself. Its note is a 

 sharp " click, click." 



410. Phylloscopus fuscatus .^-The Dusky Willow-Warbler. 

 Common in and .around Port Blair in the winter, the majority, if not all, 

 leaving by the end of April. It has a sharp " clicking " note. 



451. Hororms pallidipes.— Blanford's Bush-Warbler. 

 Common in the dense undergrowth both in high and secondary forest, and 

 never met with in the open. It frequents the thickest cover ■whence it gives 

 vent at intervals to its characteristic and peculiar call consisting of 3 or 4 

 rapidly repeated notes. It is an artful skulker and extremely difficult to 

 observe. It is a permanent resident. 



482. Lanius lucionensis. — The Philippine Shrike. 

 A seasonal visitor only , arriving in September and leaving in April. 



492. Perierocotus andamanensis. — The Andamanese Scarlet Minivet. 

 Fairly common, frequenting the crowns of trees in small parties. 



500. Perierocotus peregrij.us. — The Small JVlinivet. 

 More numerous than the last. Found several nests in May and June, placed 

 on fairly thick branches of trees, at a height of from 12' to 30' from the 

 ground. They were neat cup-shaped structures made of little bits of papery 

 bark held together with spider's web and sparsely lined with bits of dead leaves 

 and fine fibres. The eggs are pale blue spotted, speckled or blotched, chiefly in 

 a zone at the large end, with purplish brown with, in some eggs, underlying grey 

 markings. The mean of 5 eggs gave 0'69"x0 , 55." 



510. Graucalus macii. — The Large Cuckoo-Shrike. 

 Common in and around the Settlement. Found two nests on May 14th and 

 June 4th, respectively, containing 2 fresh eggs each, of the usual type. 

 513. Artamus hucogaster. — The White-rumped Swallow-Shrike. 

 Common in open places and clearings around Port Blair. They appear to be 

 very affectionate, the male and female sitting for long periods side by side en 

 the same perch, They are fearless of men and follow any one about, who may 

 be walking through long grass, snapping up the grasshoppers and other insects 

 which are disturbed into flight. They breed in April and May, the nests being 

 almost invariably placed on the broken off stump of some stout branch of a 

 tree from 10 to 20 feet from the ground. Jack fruit trees are frequently selected 

 as a building site. The nest is an untidy shallow eaucei of twigs little letter 



