THE MAGPIE-EOBIN 
Copsychus saularis must cits (Raffles) 
Mahy name : — Murai. 
Description : — This is the sprightly black and white thrush- 
like bird so common in Singapore jjardens. 
The male has the upper parts together with the cliin, 
throat and breast ,^lossy black. The remainder of the under- 
parts are white. The wings have a broad white bar and the 
outer tail feathers are also white. 
The female is scarcely so deep a black on the upper parts 
and the chirij throat and breast are g^rey instead of black. 
Young: birds are blackish-grey above and have the white 
bar on the wings and the grey breast mottled with yellowish- 
brown. 
I rides brown, bill black, legs dark grey. 
The bird runs to 9 inches m length with a wing of about 
4 inches. 
Distribution: — Forms of Copsychus sauhris are found 
from Ceylon where, at Colombo, Straits residents going ashore 
from their boat can meet with this familiar bird, throughout 
India and thence up to China and down south through the 
Malay Peninsula and Malaysian Islands. 
Status in Singapore: — The magpie-robin is so common 
in Singapore that it needs little mention under this heading. 
In the gardens it is one of the most familiar of birds and 
although it does not actually enter the busy parts of the town 
like the tree-sparrow and the yellow-vented bulbul, it is com- 
mon enough on the outskirts and in most other places to 
attract notice. 
It breeds freely on the island, 
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