BIRDS IN SINGAPORE. 83 
have seen in the gardens is Pitta moluccensis, as beautiful a 
bird as any in the group. The head is gray, with a black streak 
near the eye, the back of a dark green colour, the lower part 
and wing coverts of a lovely metallic light blue, and the breast 
buff with a crimson red patch beneath the tail. 
Like all ant-thrushes it remains concealed in the bushes the 
whole day, usually hopping about the ground. If the thicket 
is a small one the bird is easily approached, as it will not leave 
the shade unless absolutely compelled ; but just after dark it 
begins its loud call, and will come up quite close, even from a 
considerable distance, if it is imitated. During the night it is silent, 
but commences to call again just before sunrise, ceasing when the 
sunisup. It probably feeds on insects, but other species such as 
P. boschii, which lives about limestone rocks, feed on snails, 
cracking the shells as a missel-thrush does in England. Piles of 
the shells broken by the pittas can often be seen round the 
limestone rocks, in Selangor, Pahang, and elsewhere. I have 
however never seen broken shells in the haunts of P. moluccensis. 
The bird best known to the residents here is the so-called 
black and white robin (Copsychas saularis), the “Murai” of the 
natives. Its habit of hopping on the grass with its tail erect 
suggesting that of the English robin, is probably the origin 
of its popular name, though in other respects it resembles 
a blackbird, to which bird it is more nearly allied. It nests 
commonly in the gardens in May. The nest resembles that of a 
blackbird. It is placed in the fork of a tree low down, or in a palm, 
between the leaf stalk and the stem, or sometimes on a beam — 
beneath the verandah of a house. It contains two eggs, some- 
what suggesting in form and colour those of a missel thrush, 
bluish grey with dark red blotches, eogeaelsy numerous at the 
broad end. 
The bird sings very sweetly just before sido, sometimes 
perching on the top of a high spray and pouring forth: a volume of 
melody like that of an English thrush. In the evening it emerges 
from the shade cf the bushes where it has been concealed during 
the hotter part of the day and hops upon the grass-plots like a black- 
bird in search of worms and insects. It is indeed a most useful 
insect-destrover, attacking and devouring even large caterpillars. 
I once saw one pecking at an unfortunate young mouse, which had 
apparently been somehow washed out of its nest by a heavy 
