6742 



Zoology of the Andaman Islands. 



According to Colonel Symes, "Birds are not numerous in Great 

 Andaman ; doves, parraquets, and the Indian crow are the most com- 

 mon species." Which Indian crow ? Not the common Calcutta 

 species, but the Indian black crow (Corvus culmitiatus), which is 

 popularly miscalled the " raven." The doves and parraquets are as 

 yet undetermined, though a large fruit pigeon [Carpophaga sylvatica) 

 abounds. We have seen only one decided bird novelty from Port 

 Blair, which is a peculiar shama (Kittacincla albiventris) , like our 

 favourite Indian songster, but having a pure white belly, and the 

 middle tail-feathers being much elongated beyond the next pair. We 

 have been assured that it is an equally fine musician. 



From the Report we learn that " At old Port Cornwallis, where 

 water abounds, there were numerous birds; but our occupations did 

 not permit of any collection worthy of notice being made." We 

 should have been glad to learn, however, what actually were col- 

 lected. Novelties among water-fowl and wading-birds are not to be 

 expected, nor among the birds of prey, of which last we have seen 

 two species from Port Blair, both common in the neighbouring 

 countries, — the Haematornis cheela and the Blagrus leucogaster ; but 

 the parrots, the pigeons, and the small perching birds are tolerably 

 sure to yield some novelties, to judge from analogy with the neigh- 

 bouring group of the Nicobars ; and at Port Blair a pretty species of 

 the starling family [Temetruchus erylhropygia) abounds, a bird pre- 

 viously observed only in the Nicobars. The Andaman oriole, or 

 " mango bird," appears to be the Oriolus coronatus of the great 

 Asiatic Archipelago ; and we have never seen this bird from the 

 adjacent countries, the fine oriole of the Nicobars (O. macrourus) 

 having hitherto been met with only upon those islands. Another 

 common species at Port Blair, which was originally discovered in the 

 Nicobars, is a fine redbreasted thrush (Geociclda innotata), doubtless 

 the " redbreast" of Mr. Quigley ; and we have seen other species that 

 occur there as a matter of course ; among them the large " hill 

 maina" [Gracula javanica), which is also common in the Nicobar 

 islands. The splendid Irena puella is an inhabitant of the Andaman 

 forests. There is little use in quoting such vague enumerations as 



quadruped on the island, somewhat like a mungoose, but its genus has not been 

 determined,— in all probability a Tupaia, a small squirrel-like animal, with peaked 

 snout and insectivorous dentition. In one of the early volumes of the 1 Calcutta 

 Journal of Natural History ' a Tupaia is actually figured for a species of mungoose 

 (I/crpestcs) ! 



