ZOO NOTES. 
No bird is more chavracteristically Indian 
than this species (Acridotheres 
Saat tristis), which is found almost 
all over India and is the more 
familiar from its habit of making its nest 
in buildings and walking about in roads, 
and even the broader streets of towns. 
This Mynah is a handsome bird, too, its 
chocolate-brown plumage, diversified with 
black and white, being well set off by its 
brillant yellow bill and feet. There 
also some bare yellow skin round the eye, 
but the camera has somehow failed to repro- 
duce this. New-comers to India at once 
recognise the mynah as a species of starling, 
and similarly the natives call our starling, 
which visits them in the winter, the 
“spotted mynah.” This mynah is, however, 
as may be gathered from what has been said 
above, even more attached to the neighbour- 
hood of man than is the starling of Europe, 
and, being tame without the intrusiveness 
of the crow and 
sparrow, 1s popular 
with both Europeans 
and natives in India. 
It is also a useful 
insect-destroyer, and 
this attribute has led 
to its introduction 
into many countries 
not naturally within 
its range. 
Wa 
ANOTHER 
1S 
Hastern 
member 
of the 
Starling 
family is Pastor 
roseus, whose beauty 
Rosy 
Pastor. 
is hardly done 
justice to by the 
photograph, which  pnoto vy Ww. P. Dando, F.Z.S8. 
was taken from a COMMON 
specimen not in its best plumage. When 
in its full bravery of spring attire the 
Rosy Pastor has a long, drooping crest 
which, with the rest of the head, the 
wings and the tail, is of a fine metallic 
black, while the remainder of the plumage 
is of the most lovely salmon-pink, affording 
a combination quite unique among birds. 
In addition to this, the bird is more 
gracefully formed and more active in its 
movements than starlings generally, and 
may be ranked as the most beautiful of the 
family. Although most birds of this species 
winter in India, they do not breed there, 
but in various localities from Central Asia 
to Italy, thousands nesting together, and 
then perhaps deserting that locality for 
many years. The young fledge rapidly, and 
on leaving the nest almost exactly resemble 
the dull-coloured young of our own starling 
in plumage; their differently-formed beak, 
however, at once distinguishes them. The 
bird not unfre- 
quently strageles to 
England, odd speci- 
mens getting mixed 
up with flocks of 
starlings. 
DD) 
Tuis 1s at first sight 
rather an 
uninterest- 
ing little 
duck; even the 
drake presents no 
bright hues, unlike 
the male of our own 
Teal, but bears the 
sombre plumage 
common to the 
females of so many 
of the duck tribe. It 
possesses, however, 
some remarkable 
Andaman 
Teal. 
MYNAH. 
274 
