On some Common Birds of the Seychelles.



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feathers are changing from brown to black, as the lemon-

coloured feathers on my Nonpareil’s breast changed to brighter

and brighter scarlet as the spring warmed into summer. My

Crested Bunting is a handsome, sprightly, tame fellow, quite

harmless with the other birds, and possessed of a beautiful song.

I hope one day to find a mate for him, and to win that medal

at last.



SOME COMMON BIRDS OF THE SEYCHELLES.


By B. C. Thomasset.


The following notes were made two summers ago during

a short stay on Mahd, the largest island of the Seychelles group.

As one would expect from their isolated position, these lovely

islands possess a flora and a fauna of considerable interest. In¬

digenous mammals there are none, though one colonist, the

brown rat, is now only too much at home.


Birds are numerous, and there are sixteen species peculiar

to these islands.


Mali6 is about the size of the Isle of Wight. It is very

mountainous, most of the hills being covered from the summit

to the water’s edge with luxuriant vegetation.


A common and striking bird is a small pure white Tern

( Gygis Candida). The Terns are not confined to the sea shore,

but spend much of their time inland, hawking about the trees,

presumably after insects. They breed in a clove forest, close

to the bungalow where we were staying, and always roost in the

trees. It is said that they lay a single egg on a bare, horizontal

branch, fixing it thereto with a sticky secretion, and that in that

position the egg is incubated. Very graceful and beautiful these

birds look flitting about the dark clove trees, which much re¬

semble our evergreen oaks.


The Tropic Bird (,Phcethon caudata) is another sea bird

which nests inland (I believe in hollows of dead trees). It is

white, with the exception of the two centre tail feathers which

are fully a yard long and pale yellow in colour. Hence its Creole

name “ Paille en queued


Once, whilst fishing on the coral reef, three Frigate Birds



