54 THE BIRDS OF CALCUTTA. 



that he was some poor relation of the Bird of Paradise,, 

 called him Tristis, the sad-coloured, for as a Paradis§d 

 he did not show up well. He has long, however, been 

 degraded to his proper rank among the starlings, and 

 named with a happiness somewhat rare among ornitho- 

 logists. Acridotheres — ^the grasshopper-catcher — and 

 so he is likely to remain ^cne^o^j^eres tristis till the end 

 of the chapter (the general rule being that a bird always 

 bears the first specific name bestowed on it). Never- 

 theless as a starling ourpresent subject is a rather big 

 and showy bird, being certainly equal in looks to any of 

 his relatives in Calcutta, none of which bear the shot- 

 silk sheen of green and purple which adorns the home 

 starling, also a visitor to India. For the starlings or 

 Mynahs are in great force in the East, which is their 

 true home, and the common Mynah is a good type of 

 the clan. Bold, vigorous, and pushing, he secures to 

 himself a large share of all good things in the way of 

 insects and fruit that may be going, and is a bird of 

 remarkably all-round abilities, though not particularly 

 graceful in his movements. On the ground he runs and 

 walks well, hopping when he wants to put on an extra 

 spurt, albeit there is a swing in his gait which is not 

 particularly elegant. No doubt, however, he is proud 

 of this, as it is a family character ; geese, which do 

 not suffer from excessive modesty, have a similar 

 style of going, and are known to be redoubtable- 



