THE BIRDS OF SINGAPORE ISLAND 
by any resident as long as there is a patch of grass and a shnib 
or a few trees near the bungalow. The bulbul is one of the 
first birds in Singapore to get up in the morning and it is often 
abroad before even the sparrows have started to chatter." 
In we paid especial attention to the small islands 
near Singapore and the following extract from our published 
paper may be worth quoting here* : — 
"A map of Singapore and its environs shows that within a 
short distance, ranging from a matter of a few hundred yards 
from the coast, there are a number of smaller islands. Most 
of those with which the present paper is concerned can be 
readily seen from various points of the shore of Singapore. 
"A few of these small islands are situated in the narrow 
strait runninfj between Singapore and the mainland but the 
majority are to be found off the south coast, or as it would be 
more accurate to write, on account of the peculiar shape of 
Singapore Island — the south-west coast. Further afield, to the 
south again, one passes almost imperceptibly into that wonder- 
fvil majje of islands known as the Rhio- Archipelago and politi- 
cally Dutch. 
"The sea between the most remote of the islands and 
Singapore only reaches fathoms in a few places and is 
generally less than half that depth. 
"It will be seen that the islands var>' greatly in si^e. Pulau 
Ubin which is about 4i x miles and Pulau Tekong, 
approximately 4 x 2^ miles, being the largest; whilst others at 
high water show little else than the tops of mangroves. There 
seems to be no literature relating to these places although 
numerous papers have been ptibHshcd which deal in some 
detail with the fauna of the other islands situated in the Straits 
of Malacca and South China Sea off the westem and eastern 
coasts of the Malay Peninsula, 
"Omitholotjically they are somewhat disappointing. 
Fulau Ubin and Pulau Tekong Besar have an avifauna which 
*"The Singapore Natufei£ist*\ VoL I., No. 3, May IQ24, pp, ii— 25. 
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