BIRDS IN SINGAPORE. 89 
phoenicura) with its grey back, white breast, and red rump, is a 
permanent resident, running about among the flowerbeds and 
bushes in the evening but lying quiet all the day. I have 
several times had these birds brought tome which had flown 
into. houses at night, apparently dazzled by the lights, but it 
rarely lives long in confinement. The banded rail (Hypotoenidia 
striata, haunts thickets in wet spots and lies very close unless 
disturbed by dogs. The small white egret, which is not so 
common in Singapore as in most partsof the Peninsula, has 
visited the gardens, where one remained by tbe lakes for several 
daysafew years ago, and the little blue Heron, (Butorides 
javanicus), So common in the mangrove swamps comes from time 
to time to the lakes where it may be seen fishing. The only 
visitant of the duck tribe is the charming little Goose-Teal, 
(Nettopus coromandelianus) This is mentioned as visiting the gar- 
dens lakes many years ago by Mr. Davison in the “Ibis.” A 
pair appeared here in January (1898) and remained on the lake 
for some weeks. It is a very common bird in India, but by no 
means so inthe Malay Peninsula. 
This by no means exhausts the list of birds to be seen 
in the gardens from time to time by careful observer; but it. 
servers to give an idea of the abundance of bird-life in the neigh- 
bourhood of the London of the East. 
H, N. kidley. 
