722 LT.-COL. N. MANDERS ON THE 



Subfam. Turdin^.. 



63. The Ceylon Blackbird. Merula kinnisi. Indigenous. 

 Has almost precisely the habits of the English Blackbird. 



64. The Ceylon Thrush. Oreocincla ivibt^icata. Indigenous. 



" Decidedly an uncommon bird .... it appeal's to feed on 

 insects which it procures beneath fallen leaves." " Thwaites says 

 it scratches much in rubbish thrown ovit at the border of his 

 plantation." 



65. " The Spotted-wing Thrush." 0. s2nlo2}tera. 



" Generally to be found in thick damp jungle picking up pupje, 

 coleoptera and other insects." 



Three species of Swallow occur ; one, the Common Swallow 

 (IT. rustica), is migratory, the other two have similar habits. 



Fam. MoTACiLLiD^. Wagtails. 



There are four species of Wagtails, three of which are migrants ; 

 the fourtli, the Large Pied Wagtail, has the same habits as the 

 rest of the family. 



66. The Indian Pipit. Anthus rufulus. 



" Feeds on worms and various terrestrial insects and likewise 

 partakes of small gi-ass seeds." I have noticed it feeding on green 

 Aphides, and once saw it capture a Lycasnid, a species of Zizera. 



Fam. OoRAciAD^. The Rollers. 



67. The Indian Roller. Coracias indica. 



" I have on several occasions seen one pursue an insect in the 

 air for some distance and when tlie winged termites issue from 

 their nests after rain, the Roller, like almost ever}^ other bird, 

 catches them on the wing." (Jerdon.) 



" Its food is chiefly large insects, grasshoppers, crickets, 

 Mantids, and even beetles, occasionally a small mouse or shrew." 

 (Jerdon.) 



Family M E R o p i D .E. 



68. The Common Indian Bee-eater. Merojjs viridis. 



69. The Blue-tailed Bee-eater. M. philippimis. 



" A. winter visitant it feeds on wasps, bees, dragonflies. 



beetles, and even butterflies." (Oates.) 



70. The Chestnut-headed Bee-ea,ter. M. sivinhoei. 



" Locally distributed throughout Ceylon." Not found in the 

 hill country. 



These three species are well-known as butterfly-eaters ; see 

 correspondence (p. 727 ">. 



