160 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol. XVI I. 



665. Cittocincla albiventris. — The Andaman Shama. 

 Common throughout the islands, keeping to the densest jungle. It has many 

 fine clear notes, but its song, if it can be so called, is disappointingly unmusical 

 owing to a number of low discordant sounds which are introduced at frequent 

 intervals. They are late breeders, waiting for the burst of the monsoon before 

 commencing to build. 



I found seven nests between May 21 and June 27. Four of these were in 

 boxes or hollowed out cocoanut husks placed in thick forest for the purpose 

 of affording building sites, and three were in holes in stumps or clefts in the 

 trunks of trees, all at a height of from 5 to 8 feet from the ground. 

 The nests were composed of dry bamboo leaves lined with fine roots or twigs 

 and lastly with black hair-like rhizomorph. Three was the maximum number 

 of eggs in any nest and two nests contained 2 only. 



The eggs appear to be rather small for the bird. They are glossy, with a 

 pale-green ground densely marked, chiefly at the large end with purplish -brown 

 or chocolite, with underlying grey markings visible here and there. 



In length the eggs vary from 0'89' - ' to 0'80" and in breadth from 0*68" to 

 0'65", but the mean of 9 eggs gives 0-85"x0'66". 



680. Merula obscura. — The Dark Ouzel. 

 Saw a solitary specimen of this species on April 4, near the Salt Works. 



689. Geocichla andamenensis. — The Andaman Ground-Thrush, 

 Common, especially in Port Blair. It has a pretty, characteristic song. 

 Found many nests in May and June, generally in small trees just outside the 

 forest. 



The nests are composed of roots and dead leaves, lined with the former. 

 They contain either two or three (never more) eggs, which vary a good deal 

 in colour. They are fairly glossy and often somewhat pyriform in shape, pale 

 green spotted or blotched with chestnut chiefly in a zone or cap at the large 

 eud ; also a few underlying pale grey markings may usually be observed. 

 Some eggs are spotted thickly all over with reddish brown, showing no ground 

 at all. 



In size the eggs vary from 1*07" to 0'89" in length and from 0"76" to 0"69" in 

 breadth, the mean of 55 eggs being 0'98" * 0'73". 



730. Uroloncha fumigata. — The Andaman White-backed Munia. 

 Common in the vicinity of Port Blair, generally in parties of from 6 to a 

 dozen, feeding on bamboo or grass seeds. They breed in June and July, con- 

 structing the usual domed nest of fine flowering grasses and laying up to 7 pure 

 white glossless eggs which are often very elongate and pyriform. 



They vary in length from 0-67" to 0'56" and in breadth from 0"42" to 0-39". 

 The mean of 34 eggs gave 0-60"x0'41". 



725. Munia malacca. — The Black-headed Munia. 

 Saw three of these birds in some long grass between Haddo and Navy Bay 

 on 17th May. They were building a nest and allowed me to approach and 

 watch them within a few feet. They subsequently, however, deserted the 



