Mr. E. Newton’s Ornithological Notes from Mauritius. 273 
At the former place, which belongs to Mr. Telfair (a relative 
of him of Dodo celebrity), the house is surrounded by a grove of 
Filao-trees, and a perpetual concert was kept up by these birds. 
The song is not unlike that of a tame Canary, but not so loud, 
and the notes are sweeter. They were just beginning to buildj 
as I saw one flying with a feather in its mouth, but 1 was unable 
to watch where it went. Mr. Telfair took me to see, as he said, 
10,000,000 birds of all sorts in one field! Though this was a 
slight exaggeration, there were certainly a good few—perhaps as 
many as I ever before saw at once. The piece of land was in 
“ plant-canes,” and very foul with a species of Groundsel, then 
in seed, which was probably the cause of the multitude. The 
Serin-du-cap was perhaps the most numerous; but there were 
thousands of Serins-du-pays, Cardinals, Bengalis, the Small Green 
Parrakeets, and Tourterelles, which were flying round on all sides 
as thickly as Sparrows, Finches, and Buntings in a farm-yard at 
home in winter-time. I wished I had had with me some of 
the people who say there are no birds in Mauritius ! 
Acridotheres tristis. (Hartl. 1. c. pp. 54 & 87.) Martin. 
As plentiful there as elsewhere. Thousands roost in a grove 
of shrubby trees by the Mer St. Martin. They arrive soon after 
sunset from all parts, in parties of from one to three or four 
pairs, and commencing their chattering, screaming, and whistling, 
continue it till after dark. Then, too, they are not always 
quiet, as in the middle of the night one fellow would give the 
alarm and the row would become general; perhaps they were 
frightened by a cat, a monkey, or some such beast. In the 
morning, at first break of day, the noise would begin again in 
real earnest, and continue till a few minutes before sunrise, when 
they would depart in small parties as they arrived. Altogether 
they make as much fuss about going to bed and getting up as 
any birds I ever heard. 
Agapornis cana. (Hartl. 1. c. p. 59.) Perruche . 
I saw more in the cane-piece just mentioned than anywhere 
else. Round our camp there were several. They were usually 
flying about the Filaos, from one tree to another, chirping and 
whistling, and settling four or five together in a heap on the 
