148 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



vast numbers of these insect pests. When the indigo is being 

 brought into the vats the whole plant swarms with insects of all 

 sorts and sizes, which delight the heart of the entomologist and 

 the Mynah, and on these occasions both are in their glory. With 

 stately and sidelong step the Mynah will pick the insects up at 

 one's very feet, and, indeed, at times such as these it is remark- 

 ably tame, hardly troubling to get out of one's way. Despite its 

 usefulness in destroying insects, the Mynah will at times commit 

 sad havoc among the crops when the grain is ripe, and is only 

 induced to leave by the shouts of numerous small and scantily 

 clothed boys posted on a platform of grass and bamboos, known 

 as a " machan," whose duty it is from sunrise to sunset to drive 

 theMynahs and other grain-eating birds from their crops. Even 

 the veriest novice in ornithology can see at a glance that the 

 Mynah is a thorough Starling. In its very actions, voice, and 

 mode of nesting it closely resembles that bird, and, like it, lays 

 pretty blue eggs of the regular Starling type. Nearly the whole 

 of the Indian Empire is invaded by the Mynah, from Kashmir 

 to Mergui, and it is found in the hills at moderate elevations. 



Among other Indian forms which are more or less familiar 

 there is the Bank Mynah {A. ginginianus) , closely allied to the 

 present bird ; the Jungle Mynah (Mthiopsar fuscus) ; the Grey- 

 headed (Sturnia malabarica) and Black-headed Mynahs [Teme- 

 nuchus pagadorum), the last two being small birds, much prized 

 by natives as cage pets ; and the beautiful Pied Mynah (Sturno- 

 pastor contra), which in its form approaches very closely to the 

 true Starling, and builds in societies on pepul and other trees 

 large and untidy nests. 



Indian Oriole {Oriolus kundoo). — One of the most beautiful 

 of all our Indian birds that enlivens the too often dull monotony 

 of the surrounding scenery. Its soft liquid notes, though not 

 exactly amounting to a song, are much more pleasing than many 

 of the songs of singing birds. Both this bird and the Black- 

 headed Oriole (0. melanocephalus) are known to Anglo-Indians as 

 " mango birds," the bright yellow plumage resembling the colour 

 of the ripe mango fruit. Their beautifully suspended nests are 

 made on the branches of sisso and pepul trees, from ten to thirty 

 feet above the ground. Their food is fruit and insects, and they 

 are never seen on the ground, but confine their attentions to the 



