368 
Philippine Journal of Science 
1920 
this was proposed seriously or merely in fun. It is probable 
that the cost would be out of all proportion to the benefits. 
OTHER LAND BIRDS FOUND IN MANILA 
The mountain sparrow and the martin langostero are the only 
species of birds that have adapted themselves to life in the busy 
parts of the town and that can be found there in abundance; 
even if we extend our observations to include the entire city, 
surprisingly few other birds can be seen. Nearly all of the birds 
to be found in or near Manila are migratory species or range 
throughout the Archipelago. As I shall point out in more detail, 
most of the endemic species of birds live only in the virgin forest 
and disappear with it. A very few of these species have become 
adapted to life in the cultivated areas and in the second-growth 
forests. 
Many of the streets of Manila are shaded by large trees, the 
most abundant being several kinds of palms and various species 
of Leguminosge with beautiful and conspicuous blossoms. Among 
the latter are the royal poinciana, Delonix regia (Bojer) Ra- 
finesque, with gorgeous red and yellow flowers; the rain tree, 
Samanea saman (Jacquemont) Merrill, with rather small pink 
flowers ; Cassia siamea Lamarck and Peltophorum inerme Naves, 
both with large showy yellow flowers ; and the dap-dap, Erythrinn 
indica Lamarck, with large red flowers.^^ The old botanic garden 
contains examples of many species of shrubs and trees, and 
there are private and commercial gardens that contain interesting 
collections of plants. The Cementerio del Norte, the largest 
burying ground of the city, is a beautiful example of what can 
be done in gardening on a large scale.-^ Very few of these 
cultivated plants are native species, and very few native birds 
take advantage of the planted vegetation. 
A common bulbul, Pycnonotus goiavier (Scopoli) ; a migratory 
shrike, Otomela lucionensis (Linnaeus) ; and a small, inconspic- 
uous warbler, Acanthopneuste borealis (Blasius), occasionally 
visit the trees in my yard; and these three species are fairly 
common in Manila. The rufous-bellied cuckoo, Cacomantis 
merulinus (Scopoli), is often seen and heard in Manila, where 
its curious querulous call has earned for the bird the Tagalog 
name masakit. A shy thrush, the Siberian rubythroat, Calliope 
calliope (Pallas), occasionally sings early in the morning and at 
dusk. Three species of kingfishers — Halcyon gularis, H. chloris, 
See Merrill, E. D., Qr. Bull. Philip. Bur. Public Works 2^ (1913) 
34-41. 
“ See Merrill, E. D., Catalogue of the Plants Cultivated in the City- 
Nursery at Cementerio del Norte. Manila, Bureau of Printing (1910) 
40 pp. [Published by the city of Manila.] 
