= a 2) = a = ‘, < 4 < = f S * 2) = i © et i = | - = = ==] = ac) oe ae S a] a & sits bt THE MALAYAN RUFOUS WOODPECKER Micropternus brachyurus squami gularis (Sundez.) Description:—The differences between the sexes are trivial and both cock and hen are entirely dull rufous, barred on the back, wings and tail and abdomen with black; in fact this bird is quite unlike any other local woodpecker. The beak and feet are slaty in colour. The total length about 8 inches; wing 44 inches. Distribution: —Local races are common in the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Java and Borneo and the bird as a species ranges to the Himalayas and China. Status in Singapore :—We cannot say much of this wood- pecker beyond mentioning that it seems to appear fairly fre- quently in the gardens, Mr. Ridley, at one time Director of the Botanic Gardens, writes: “‘But the most interesting of these birds is the curious red Micropternus brachyurus. This bird always makes its nest in that of one of the tree-ants. The ants form a large black nest in a tree and the bird, which feeds largely on them, digs out a burrow and puts its own nest therein. It has been stated that these ants do not bite, but this is not the case; though small they are most vicious. The woodpecker nested for some years in a tree (Mimusops Elengi), close to my house, but the ants’ nest collapsed one year, and the birds finding it gone on their return in the breeding season, went away’. THE MALAYAN PIGMY WOODPECKER Dryobates nanus auritus (Eyton) Description: —This is a tiny bird about the size of, or in bulk perhaps even smaller than, a sparrow. With the exception of the male which has a tiny red fleck behind the eye the plumage is entirely black and white. The top of the head is black, the underparts dirty white with dark streaks and the back and wings black with broad white bars. [157] THE BIRDS OF SINGAPORE ISLAND The iris is greyish or dirty pink, the beak slaty in colour and the feet greyish-green. Total length about 5 inches, wing approximately 2% inches. Distribution: —Siam and Cochin-China through the Malay Peninsula to Sumatra, Java and Borneo. Status in Singapore :—This is certainly the most frequently seen of the local woodpeckers. It may sometimes be observed on the trees in the Cathedral grounds, and in the Botanic Gardens it is not uncommon. In the Economic Gardens in Cluny Road we have often seen it climbing the larger trees. Field Notes:—This is a rather shy little bird which, with its small size and inconspicuous type of coloration, makes it rather difficult of observation. We have usually seen it creep- ing about the trunk, or the bourhs, of large heavily foilared trees and have noticed it, as often as not, entirely by chance. From the office at the Raffles Museum we have seen birds in the top-most branches of the larger trees in the compound. _ By examining all the large trees in the Economic Gardens with binoculars one would be almost certain to locate one of these woodpeckers. Other Woodpeckers The Malayan black woodpecker (Thriponax javensis javensis), one of the very largest of local species, is unmistake- able in appearance, the male being black with a white belly and bright red head. We have never seen one in Singapore and the bird cannot be common here; but Mr. Ridley mentions that in the Botanic Gardens a pair once remained for some time in a large Jelutong tree. This bird is not uncommon on the Dutch Islands lying to the south and within sight of Singa- pore so it may still be expected to visit us occasionally. The crimson-winged green woodpecker (Picus puniceus continentis) is very like the banded red woodpecker in size and general appearance but it has the underparts green and not conspicuously barred as in that species. [158] THE MALAYAN PIGMY WOODPECKER Although it certainly occurs in Singapore we cannot say anything very definite as to its status having only seen an odd bird here and there from time to time. Yet another green woodpecker with a red crested male is Raffles’ Three-toed woodpecker (Chlorepicoides rafflesii peninsularis). This bird also seems to be not uncommon locally and we have repeatedly observed it on Pulau Ubin. It is possibly more numerous with us than in most parts of the Malay Peninsula. The Burmese Pigmy woodpecker (Dryobates canicapillus canicapillus) is extremely like D. auritus in appearance but just a trifle larger. In Singapore it has been confused with this latter species but, although it may from time to time occur here, we are confident that the really common small black and white woodpecker hereabouts is auritus and not canicapillus. The Malayan bay woodpecker (Blythipicus rubiginosus) is a very dark brown almost blackish bird with dark crimson back and wings: it has been recorded from Singapore but we have never seen it on the island. Three small species, the fulvous-rumped barred woodpecker (Miglyptes tristis grammithorax), the buff-necked barred wood- pecker (Miglyptes tukki) and the grey and buff woodpecker (Hemicercus concretus sordidus) are sufficiently described in the key. Chrysophelgma mentale humii has the top of the head and back green, a bright yellow crest on the nape, the throat white with bold black spots, the foreneck and. breast chestnut, the wings crimson and the remainder of the under- parts green. The fiery-rumped woodpecker (Chrysocolaptes validus xanthopygius) has the top of the head and the underparts bright red, the upper parts very dark brown, except the rump which is of a very lively yellow colour. The wings are banded with rufous. The female is much duller in plumage. These five species are not common locally. The great slaty woodpecker (Miilleripicus pulverulentus) is also said to occur in Singapore but we have never seen one on the island. Tickeel’s golden-backed woodpecker (Chryso- colaptes gutticristatus chersonesus) is so like the common golden-backed woodpecker (Dinopium javanense javanense) that it would take a sharp eye to distinguish the two species in the field: the latter is by far the commoner bird. [159] BARBETS (Capitonide) BaRBETS occur in tropical America and Africa but are particularly characteristic of the Oriental region where a large number of handsome species are found. Most of the Malayan species, about a dozen kinds, are green with the head and neck gorgeously patterned with vivid reds, blues and yellows. In stature barbets are “‘stumpy”’ birds, with a stout busi- ness-like bill which has strong black bristles at its base. They live almost entirely in the trees and are essentially forest birds. In Malaya the food consists of fruit and perhaps insects. In habits they are rather sluggish but their presence is often betrayed by their noisy notes; in some species, such as Xantholema hemacephala, of such a metallic character that the bird is well-known to Europeans in India as ‘‘the copper- smith’’ and to the Malays in the north of the Malay Peninsula as tukang besi (“‘blacksmith’’), Barbets are by no means common in Singapore but a small brownish species, the brown barbet (Calorhamphus fuliginosa hayi) and a larger kind, the Malayan blue-throated barbet (Chotorhea rafflesi) are not rare. C. rafflesi is of the typical appearance indicated above. We have seen it in trees on the shores of the local reservoirs. [160] BROADBILLS (Eurylemiformes) Tue broadbills, so called from the peculiar shape of their short and pointed, but extremely broad flat bills, have by some naturalists been regarded as a division of that great assemblage of birds grouped together into one great order, the Passi- formes, and in truth the broadbills share many important anatomical characters with the perching-birds, They are however more usually kept by themselves in an Order apart and a reasonable view of their systematic position seems to place them between the picarian and perching birds. They were at one time regarded as being absolutely characteristic of south-eastern Asia. and Malaysia but it has recently been suggested that a somewhat aberrant African bird should rightly be regarded as a member of the Eurylemiformes. Most of the species are brightly coloured and all are squat, fat little birds, fond of the jungle and subsisting, it would appear, chiefly on insects. The large globular nest of grass, etc., contains eggs which are either white or buffy in colour, sometimes spotted at the larger end. In the Malay Peninsula no less than seven species are found and of these all have been recorded from Singapore except two handsome genera, Psari- somus and Serilophus which are only found on mountains. Most of the local records were made years ago and with the exceptions noted below broadbills are rarely, if ever, found on the island now-a-days. [ 161 | THE BLACK-AND-RED BROADBILL Cymborkynchus macrorhynchus malaccensis (Salvad.) Description: —This is a very brightly coloured bird and quite unlike any other local species. In general appearance it presents 4 combination of black and dark red with white streaks on the back. In detail, the top of the head, the back, tail and wings are black although when the bird spreads its tail some white spots can be seen. The scapulars are white, rump and entire underparts, except a band across the throat and the chin, are dark red. The edge of the wing orange. The soft parts of the bird are rather striking in colour. The beak presents a combination of bright blue and yellow. The feet are also blue and the irides are green, a most unusual colour for a bird’s eyes. Length about 9 inches, wing 4 inches. Status in Singapore:—This very conspicuous and quite unmistakable bird is not common in Singapore but is likely to be seen at times by visitors to the less frequented parts of the island. We have never seen it in the Gardens but have met with one or two on several occasions in the country at the end of the Chua Chu Kang Road. It breeds on the island. Field Notes:—A bold red and black bird about the size of a thrush with a dash of white in its plumage and an amazingly blue porcelain-like bill is the impression created by this ‘‘gaper’’ in the field. Other habits: —We regard the relative scarcity of this handsome bird in Singapore as due to its destruction by Chinese “‘sportsmen’’, who never allow a brightly plumaged bird to escape if only they can get near enough to avoid missing it and therefore wasting a cartridge! It is quite numerous on Pulau Ubin. Kelham notices the species as being shy and particularly silent and, except during the breeding season, rather inclined to be solitary. From Sumatra Mr. E. Jacobson writes: ‘The bird lives in secondary forest, on the edge of clearings and near villages, It is not [162] THE BLACK AND RED BROADBILL shy at all for I saw their nests made in the trees of a road, another at the outskirts of a village overhanging a pond. The nest is globular with its entrance a hole on one side. If the bird is sitting on its eggs the blue and yellow bill is seen before the entrance hole. The nest is attached to a thin twig, some- times not higher than three metres from the ground”. The eggs are whitish with brownish markings. This is an insectivorous bird. Another broadbill is not uncommon on Pulau Ubin. This is the green broadbill, gaper or tody (Calyptomena viridis) a fat, short-tailed, large-headed Httle bird, grass-green with black markings. Ridley wrote of this species with reference to the Botanic Gardens: ‘‘May at times be seen in the denser wooded spots, quickly passing from thicket to thicket, and concealing itself among the green leaves”’, [163] PERCHING BIRDS Passeriformes Tuts great Order is by far the largest division in the bird- world. The trivial name is derived from the fact that the feet have three toes pointing to the front and one to the rear an arrangement admirably suited for perching. The many members of the Order, for the most part small birds, are linked together by certain structural characters the most important of which are probably the arrangement of certain tendons in the foot and the character of the bony palate in the skull. Many of the most familiar birds belong to the Order including the well-known song-birds, the thrushes, warblers, finches, wagtails, swallows, tits and a host of others. Quite a number of “‘passeres’”’ are normally ground dwellers rather than arboreal in habits. The main divisions of the Order have regard to the struc- ture of the organ of voice (syrinx) but the number of birds with which we have to deal is so large that it seems advisable to treat each family separately exactly as we did in the case of that miscellaneous array, the Coraciiformes. Evolutionists consider that the Passeriformes include the most highly developed of all birds. They are, as it were, at the top of the avian tree or, as it can be expressed in another manner, the most remote from the reptile-like ancestors of birds. PITTAS Pittide Pirras, or ant-thrushes as they are sometimes called, are found in Africa and thence throughout the Oriental region as far east as Australia. They are birds of very brilliant plumage, normally found in deep jungles and very difficult of observation on account of their terrestrial habits. They are furthermore of a shy disposition and when disturbed hasten off through [164] PITTAS the undergrowth with astonishing speed, trusting largely to their legs as a means of escape. They are plump little birds, generally about thrush-size with longish legs and a short tail. The nest is placed on, or near the ground, and the eggs are white with dark spots. Seven species occur in the Malay Peninsula and the Indo-Australian area may perhaps be regarded as the headquarters of the family. [165] THE LARGER BLUE-WINGED PITTA Pitta megarhyncha, Schleg Malay name:—Burong Pachat. Description: —Broadly speaking this is a thrush-like bird with a short tail, longish legs and very brilliant plumage the general scheme of which is green above, creamy brown below and with a bright red patch under the tail. Top of the head brown, sides of the head black, chin and throat white. The back green, the rump bright blue and the tail mostly black. The wings have the upper coverts bright blue and the quills black with large white patches. The under- parts are very pale brown or very dark creamy colour with the centre of the abdomen and the under tail-coverts bright red. The irides are brown, the bill black and the feet fleshy colour. Length about 8 or g inches; wing 4} to 5 inches. The sexes are similar in colour. Distribution: —This bird has a limited range compared with most of the birds dealt with in this book: it is only found in Burma, Tenasserim and the Malay Peninsula. Status in Singapore:—A resident bird in Singapore and found more or less commonly in the mangrove on both sides of the Straits of Johore and also on the small outlying islands. Along the edges of creeks on the northern coast of Singapore it may often be seen. | Field Notes:—Like other pittas this must be looked for onthe ground. It comes to the edge of the mangrove to bathe and the brilliant plumage, particularly the green back and bright red under tail-coverts reveal its identity. It is easily alarmed for it is a shy bird and then hastens off with very long hops through the mangrove trees keeping close to the ground and leaping from root to root. [166] THE LARGER BLUE-WINGED PITTA Other habits: —Very little seems to have been recorded about the habits. It is apparently resident wherever found. The food consists of molluscs and insects. Other Pittas Three other species of pitta are known from the island, but of these we doubt if the Malayan scarlet pitta (Pitta coccinea) will ever occur again within our limits. It is a handsome bird with bright blue upper parts and mostly rich red below. The other two species are very like P. me garhyncha already described but one, the lesser blue-winged pitia, Pitta cyanoptera, has a broad dark streak down the centre of the brown crown and. the other Pitta cucullata, has the head and neck all black. Examples of both these species have come to hand of recent years and indeed P. cyanoptera is not ‘ uncommon at times in Singapore. It only occtirs as a migrant: we have at times seen it in the Botanic Gardens, but cannot improve on Ridley’s brief but very accurate sentence, “Like all ant-thrushes it remains con- cealed in the bushes the whole day, usually hopping about the ground. If the thicket is a small one the bird is easily approached as it will not leave the shade unless absolutely compelled, but just after dark it begins its loud call, and will come up quite close, even from a considerable distance, if it is imitated. During the night it is silent, but commences to call again just before sunrise, ceasing when the sun is up’’. [167] SWALLOWS _ Hirundinide A brief glance at the general form of a swallow’s body is sufficient to indicate that it is essentially a creature of the air and indeed its insect food is captured on the wing. Swallows. of which a large number of species are known, are found all over the world. On account of a superficial resemblance they were at one time thought to be related to the swifts, but later research revealed important structural differences between the two groups. A large number of the species are migratory and their breeding habits show considérable diversity. It will for in- stance be recalled that the common swallow and the house- martin of England make mud nests which are attached to houses whereas the sand-martin deposits its eggs at the end of a tunnel which it digs in a bank. Very few species are found in the Malay Peninsula: the most interesting is perhaps Hirundo badia, a handsome bird with the underparts entirely bright chestnut. It is restricted in range to the vicinity of limestone hills. [168] THE JAVAN SWALLOW Hirundo javanica abbotti (Oberi.) Malay name :—Layang layang. Description; —In general appearance this bird is very like the European chimney-swallow. The upper parts are glossy black with a bluish tinge, the forehead, chin and throat chestnut and the underparts pale ashy colour turning whitish on the abdomen. When the tail is spread it can be seen that the tail quills are decorated with white spots just like a row of buttons. Total length about 5 inches; wing just over 4 inches. Distribution :—This swallow is found in India, the Malay Peninsula, throughout the Malaysian Islands and eastwards even as far as New Guinea. Status in Singapore:—Two distinct species of swallows are found in Singapore. They fraternize and are often found flying in the same flock and indeed sitting side by side on the telephone wires and other favourite perches. One of these is the eastern representative of the well-known European swal- low. We may well call it the Eastern swallow (Hirundo rustica gutteralis): it is distinguished from the Javan swallow by its much longer tail, whitish underparts, and the presence of a blackish patch between the chestnut throat and white breast. H. javanica has a relatively shorter tail and dark brownish grey underparts. Both species have a chestnut throat. The Javan swallow is resident in this part of the world: the white breasted bird is purely migratory, not breeding in Malaya. Field Notes: —As no other swallow-like birds are met with in Singapore the two species mentioned above should be readily identified. Other habits: —The Javan swallow has the habits more or less common to the typical swallows. It catches its insect food on the wing and constructs a cup-like mud nest which is usually, attached to a human habitation. The eggs are white, spotted with brown and greyish brown. [169 | FLYCATCHERS Muscicapide THE flycatchers form a very large family of birds in geographical range restricted to the Old World. More than forty small species are known from the Malay Peninsula but of these some are only migrants appearing on the mountains, or on the islands in the Straits of Malacca, in the winter. Certain local species usually attributed to this family could perhaps be equally well placed with the warblers (Sylviid@) and it seems that the division between the two great groups is by no means well defined. In the flycatchers the bill is usually considerably flattened and at its base are strong bristle-like feathers. Some species have their habitation in the deepest jungle, others prefer the higher zones on the mountains, some are normally inhabitants of the mangrove belt and others yet again are familiar residents in our bungalow gardens. The plumage may be of the soberest description imagin- able, just a combination of dull grey or brown, but in other species vivid orange contrasts with jet black and the brightest blue with lively red. | Normally, flyeatchers keep to the bushes and trees, not searching for their food on the ground. They usually take up a station on a bough and wait silently until an insect flies by. Then they sally forth and having made their capture return to their favourite look-out post. [170] ‘papain panprdry y ; “HHHOLVOA TA UVOINVA NVAVI SHE ‘spd A-Nanay Py Ag umracy THE JAVAN FANTAIL FLYCATCHER Rhipidura javanica (Sparrm.) Malay name :—Murai gila. Description: —This flycatcher has the upper parts all very dark brown or sooty black but with a broad white end to most of the tail feathers. The underparts are white except for a broad black band across the chest. The irides are brown, bill and legs black. Length about 8 inches, wing usually just over 3 inches. Young birds have rufous markings on the dark parts of the plumage. Distribution: —This flycatcher is common throughout the whole of the Malaysian area. Status in Singapore:—A common garden bird but also found, usually in pairs, in other parts of.the island, in the woodlands and mangrove alike. It appears to be especially numerous in the coastal gardens in the vicinity of Beting Kusa and Tanah Merah and also near Changi. Field Notes:—This active little bird well deserves its Malay name of “‘murai-gila’’—or ‘‘mad thrush’’ purely on ac- count of its erratic actions. In the field it may be identified by its jerky, dancing movements, the shuffling of its wings and the continual jerking and spreading fanwise of its long tail. Other habits: —The small insects which compose the food of this bird are captured on the wing. The bird has a pleasing little song. The nest is extremely well made, a tiny, well knit and compact cup usually placed in a horizontal branch. The only one we have seen was found in mangrove and was cup-shaped. Mr. Stuart Baker writes, ‘the nest is cone-shaped with a tail pendent below it and may be placed either on a small branch or from a small bamboo-twig in open tountry, gardens, or compounds’’. [171] THE BIRDS OF SINGAPORE ISLAND In addition to the species mentioned above one or two other flycatchers are not uncommon in Singapore. Two dull grey kinds, Alseonax latirostris and Muscitrea grisola are not rare. The former is only a winter visitor but the latter without doubt breeds locally; young birds have the wing strongly washed with rufous and could be mistaken for a species of Rhinomyias—a genus not represented in Singapore. In the mangrove a member of the genus Cyornis (C. rufigastra) is not uncommon; it has bright blue upper parts and tawny underparts. [172] CUCKOO-SHRIKES Campephagide THE cuckoo-shrikes, not a very extensive family of Old World birds, may perhaps be regarded as a link between the flycatchers and the shrikes. They differ from the shrikes in that the feathers of the rump are rather spiny in character. They are arboreal and insectivorous in habits. The beak is slightly hooked and the sexes sometimes very different in plumage. In the Malay Peninsula the gorgeous little minivets are perhaps the most striking members of the family: in some species the males are clad in a livery of black and scarlet whereas the females of the same species are black and bright yellow. As the young males first resemble the females in plumage they present a very vivid appearance when assuming the scarlet adult dress. [173] THE PIED CUCKOO-SHRIKE Lalage nigra nigra (Forst.) Description:—The male and female of this bird differ greatly in the colour of the plumage. The male has. the top of the head, back, wings and tail glossy black, but the wings and tail with conspicuous white markings. The rump is pale grey and the underparts dirty white slightly washed with grey. The female (figured in the plate), has the black upper part of the male replace by brownish grey and the whitish under- parts have thin dusky bars. The iris is brown or dull red and the bill and feet black. Length about 64 inches, wing 34 inches. Distribution: —This cuckoo-shrike or a closely allied form is found in the Nicobar Islands, the Malay Peninsula, Java, Sumatra, Borneo and the Philippines and even the birds of countries yet further east could no dotbt be linked up with the present species. Status in Singapore:— This is a common bird in Singa- pore, but hke the Malayan nightjar it seems to withdraw in the breeding season and to become particularly numerous in the autumn months. At this latter season young birds pre- dominate, Kelham definitely states that the bird breeds in Singapore and mentions seeing young birds at Tanglin on rst September, but he does not say how young the birds were and we should like further evidence of the breeding of the bird on the island. Some birds migrate and are found long distances from their breeding grounds when they are almost incredibly young. In Singapore the species usually appears in very scattered flocks, the birds flying from bush to bush or from pole to pole on the tennis courts after the fashion of shrikes. [174] ‘ptfiu afnpory 5 “SXTHHS-OONODD GaAld AHL "Sjva_X -aneTy * pF -9 Aq unvag Set fi: ; Lr at eee si a i THE PIED CUCKOO-SHRIKE Field Notes:—The fully adult male in his striking black and white plumage can be mistaken at a casual glance for the straits-robin, but two or three minutes observation of his restless behaviour and smaller size should decide the point. The young birds and females should give no difficulty. Other habits: —This is essentially not a bird of the forest land and it is usually seen in the open and round about villages and cultivation. It feeds on insects and the males at least have a charac- teristic loud, clear whistle. All the bright red and black or yellow and black cuckoo- shrikes (Pericrocotus) are rare in Singapore, but two species in which the males are all grey and the females barred below are sometimes seen. One of these is small (about the size of L. nigra) and may be called the Malayan cuckoo-shrike (L. fimbriata culminata),. The other kind is roughly the size of a green-pigeon or sparrow-hawk. It is known as the large cuckoo-shrike, Coracina sumatrensis. It almost certainly breeds locally and is not uncommon. It is a very noisy bird and usually found in pairs. [175] BULBULS Pycnonotide Tue bulbuls, of which nearly forty species occur in the Malay Peninsula, are essentially arboreal in habits. Many of them are songsters of considerable merit. Their powers of flight are not particularly well developed and the feet are weak rather than strong in character. In Malaya all the species are resident. Some kinds are characteristic of the gardens and open country; others are true inhabitants of virgin jungle. Bulbuls are not found in the New World. With a few exceptions the plumage is dull and not very striking. The list of Singapore bulbuls is rather a long one and in addition to the several kinds mentioned in detail below quite a number of others have been recorded from the island. Cer- tain bright green species belong to the genus Chloropsis and of these the malachite-shouldered green bulbul (C. viridis sosterops) seems to be not uncommon in the mangrove areas. Tole olivacea which we may call simply the olive bulbul, 1s not uncommon but would be very difficult to identity in the field as it is so much like several dull species included in the genus Pycnonotus: suffice it to say that it has white irides and that from all other species it can be distinguished by the lanceolate feathers of the crown. The red-whiskered bulbul (Otocompsa jocosa erythrotis Bp.) can be seen in some parts of Singapore but has no doubt been introduced through human agency. It may be mentioned that some of the birds which we here include under the Pycnonotide are by some naturalists counted as members of the next family, a very mixed group of small birds known as the babblers or Timaliide but the change is comparatively recent and we have here followed the older arrangement. [176] THE COMMON IORA Aegithina tiphia tiphia (Linn.) Description: —The common lora is a bird of sparrow-size, both sexes of which at a distance of a few yards appear yel- lowish, the male almost canary-like particularly ‘when one is regarding him, as one usually is, from below. The sexes are rather different in plumage. In Indian birds in the breeding plumage the male has the upper parts including the wings and tail mostly black with white bars across the wings; the underparts are yellow. In the ‘‘winter’’ or non-breeding plumage much of the black of the upper parts is replaced by green. ‘The female is yellowish green above and below, the wing quills brown but with yellowish edges. There are white bars across the wings. The irides are straw colour, the bill slaty blue and black and the feet slaty blue. Total length 5 to 54 inches; wing about 2) inches. The males found in Borneo and Sumatra do not turn black on the back and head in the breeding season like Indian males and it would appear that birds from the Malay Peninsula are intermediate between the two extremes, occasionally though by no means always, developing the back mantle and head. The males in Singapore are often largely black above. Distribution: —The common lora has been divided into several races, the plumages of which are of special interest to the ornithologist. Both sexes of the bird as found in Java are, for instance, very similar to that of the female of the race inhabiting the Malay Peninsula. For the purposes of this book it may be said that the Tora is found in India, the Indo- Chinese countries and Malaysia. [177] THE BIRDS OF SINGAPORE ISLAND Status in Singapore:—This is a common bird in gardens and woodlands. It escapes general notice because of its habit of frequenting tall trees rather than the sides of the paths, the bushes and hedges. It nests in the town gardens. Field Notes: —By walking along the paths of the Botanic Gardens and gazing upwards into the taller well leaved trees one can often spot the bright yellow breasts of these birds. They roam about in pairs or in small parties. The call note is rather a curious one and once learned it may. be realised that the bird is quite common. Other habits:—Mr. Stuart Baker gives’ the following excellent account of the habits. ‘Tt is a familiar little bird, haunting gardens, orchards and the outskirts of villages as well as the fringe of forests and scrub-jungle. In the breeding season it performs wonderful acrobatic feats, darting up into the air and then with all its feathers, especially those of the rump, puffed out, it comes spinning down in a spiral to the perch it has left. Arrived there it spreads and flirts its tail like a little peacock, drooping its wings and uttering all the time a protracted, sibilant whistle or chirrup. It has a great variety of notes, the most striking of which is a prolonged ‘‘we-e-e-e-tu’’ a long, drawn-out wail with the last note dropping suddenly. This seems never to be uttered except in the rains, and when constantly repeated to the accompaniment of the splash and the sough of the wind, is one of the saddest little bird-notes imaginable. It is generally found in pairs and is not gregarious, though, where it is common, three or four may be seen together on the same tree, hunting actively for the insects which form its food.”’ “This makes a most exquisite and very small, deep cup-like nest which is placed i in the fork of, or actually on, tne bough of a small tree.’ [178] THE MALAYAN FAIRY BLUE-BIRD Trena puella cyanea (Begbie.) Description: —There is a very striking difference between the sexes of this bird but neither male nor female can be con- fused with any other local bird. | The male has only two colours in its plumage, bright, pale, shiny blue and deep velvety black. The blue extends to the top of the head, back, upper wing- coverts and under and upper-tail coverts. . Except the wing and tail-quills which are mostly dull brown, the female is almost entirely blue but this is a very different blue from that of the male being dull and without the gloss and furthermore quite different in tone—a brownish blue rather than the lively bright colour of the male. The irides are red and the bill and feet black. Length 9 or Io inches; wing about 5 inches. Distribution: —Fairy blue-birds are found in India, the Indo-Chinese countries, the Philippines and throughout Malaysia. Status in Singapore:—Not a common garden bird but preferring the quieter and well-wooded parts of the island. It is numerous on Bukit Timah and at Changi and common on Pulau Ubin. Field Notes:—The bright colours of male are not evident at a very short distance and as the species keeps very much to large trees it is usually noticed as a dark somewhat thick-set bird bulking considerably larger than the bulbuls. In Singa- pore it is usually seen in pairs. [179] THE BIRDS OF SINGAPORE ISLAND It is often detected by its beautiful rich notes which can be heard on the path winding to the top of Bukit Timah. The other sweet and arresting notes heard there are uttered by the shama (see page 192) and the king-crow or drongo (see page 200). Other habits: —This is a fruit-eating bird and inhabits the forests rather than more open country. The nest is said to be a shallow cup of moss or twig's placed in a small tree. The eggs, usually two, are greenish white washed with brown. | 180] LS. Gs Drawn by G. A. Levetl- Yeats. THE YELLOW-VENTED BULBUL. Pyenonotus quoirgier analis. ‘ ir “we = THE YELLOW-VENTED BULBUL Pycnonotus goiavier analis (Horsf.) Malay name :—Mérébah. Description: —The upper parts are brown darker on the head and the feathers, particularly of the wing, with slightly paler (or olive brown) edges. There is a conspicuous white stripe over the eye and the chin and throat are also white. The breast and abdomen are dirty white strongly washed with brown and faintly streaked with the same colour. Under-tail coverts yellow. The iris is brown, the beak and feet black. Length 8 inches, wing 34 inches. The sexes are alike in plumage but young birds are more dingy in colour. Distribution: —Pycnonotus goiavier is found in the Philip- pine Islands but its Malayan representative, our own familiar yellow-vented bulbul, is found throughout the Malaysian islands and is a common bird in the Malay Peninsula and even further north in Tenasserim, etc. Status in Singapore:—One of the commonest and most noticeable birds on the island and found almost everywhere except in places like Raffles Square or Battery Road but even there one has only to walk to the nearest green patch (the Cricket Club ground) to see it. It nests freely in many parts of the island and particularly in the town gardens. Field Notes:—In the field this very common bird, at the short distance at which it can usually be observed, appears to be pale brown in colour, rather darker on the back, with a white head and a pale yellow patch under the tail. When it nods its head a brown or blackish patch can be seen on the [181] THE BIRDS OF SINGAPORE ISLAND crown. It has no song worth mentioning but it is nevertheless rarely silent, its cheery chattering in the shrubs being continu- ally in one’s ears. Other habits: —The cup-shaped nests which in Singapore are made, and in some years contain eggs, as early as the second half of February are easy enough to find and a good many bulbuls breed each year in the Botanic Gardens. The nests are usually placed in a bush (often an isolated one growing on a lawn) or in a hedge surrounding a tennis court. Two eggs are laid. They have the ground colour white, perhaps tinged with pink, and marked either with bold blotches or less well-defined splashes and speckled with some shade of brown. The eggs in fact are very variable in colour. To a large extent the food consists of insects and berries and Ridley quite rightly remarks that: ‘it is an omnivorous bird, devouring small fruits of all kinds, especially those of the Waringin (Ficus benjamina) and the cinnamons, and is very troublesome when the fruit is wanted for any purpose, often clearing the whole tree and disseminating seeds in all kinds of places, where young trees come up in the most unexpected manner. It, however, atones for the trouble it gives to some extent by destroying a good many injurious insects such as grasshoppers and termites’’. [ 182] THE LARGE OLIVE BULBUL Pycnonotus plumosus plumosus (Blyth) Description: —This is a very soberly-clad bird with scarcely any distinguishing feature. It is about the size of the last-named and more familiar bird, P. analis. In the field it just appears to be of a darkish brown colour. In the hand it will be seen that the top of the head is brownish grey, the upper parts olive brown, the wings and tail strongly washed with dull green. The entire underparts are pale brown except the under-tail coverts which are yellowish brown. The sexes are alike. The irides are reddish brown, the bill black and the feet brown. Length nearly 8 inches; wing 3} or 34 inches. Distribution :—This bird is found in the Malay Peninsula, where it is a common bird, and through the Malaysian Islands. Status in Singapore :—This is a common bulbul and indeed in the mangrove areas and such spots as the Bukit Timah jungle it outnumbers the yellow-vented bulbul. It rarely comes into the town gardens but prefers the coast districts: we have seen it at odd times in the Botanic Gardens although even here it keeps to the shady wooded corners, not appearing in domestic fashion on the lawns and roads as does the ubiqui- tous P, analis. It breeds on the island. Habits: —The nest is placed in bushes only a few feet above the ground. Nests have been found in the Botanic Gardens, (Ridley mentions one close to the ground in some ferns) but this is perhaps rather unusual and the species is rather more a bird of the forests. [183] THE BIRDS OF SINGAPORE ISLAND Allied species Three other olive-brown bulbuls in size more or less the same as P. plumosus are not uncommon in Singapore but they are essentially country birds and do not normally approach the town. They all differ from P. plumosus in lacking the green wash on the wings. These three species are Moore’s olive bulbul (Pycnonotus simplex) with white irides, Blyth’s olive bulbul (P. brunneus) with orange or reddish irides and a slightly smaller species with a smaller and blacker bill and also with red irides which may be known as the small olive bulbul (P. erythropthalmos). We have obtained all these birds on Bukit Timah on the same day. P. erythropthalmos seems to be the least common of the three. [184] BABBLERS Timailiide GENERAL remarks about the birds of this family are rather difficult to make without resorting to a vagueness bordering on the dishonest. The guide to the bird galleries in the British Museum, which book we have found very useful in writing these introductory bits dealing with ‘‘orders’’ and ‘‘families’’, does not help us much at this point for it says that: ‘“‘the characters and limits of this large Old World family, which includes a somewhat varied assemblage of species, are still imperfectly understood’’. Be that as it may the babblers have certain points in common that bind them together. They differ from the bulbuls in that the legs are stronger and comparatively longer. They are rarely truly arboreal in habit but in many cases are shy little birds, never flying further than possible and preferring to slip about through the undergrowth near the ground. The wings are usually small and somewhat concave: none of the approximately sixty Malayan species are migratory and the great majority are shy jungle birds. A few species are met with in country gardens; they are always scarce on small islands and in spite of the many kinds found in Malaya only two, and these are both mentioned below, can be con- sidered as anything like familiar birds in Singapore. [185] THE BROWN-BACKED TIT-BABBLER Malacocincla abbotti (Blyth) Deseription: —This babbler which, in Singapore at least, is known far better by its note than by its appearance is a squat, short-necked little bird, with a very short tail and longish legs. In size it is rather larger than a sparrow. There are few distinctive features about its plumage. The upper parts are entirely brown, and the lower parts whitish well-washed with rufous on the flanks and with the under tail coverts quite rich rufous. The iris is reddish brown, the beak brown and grey and the legs fleshy in colour. Length 64 inches; wing 3 inches. The sexes are alike. Distribution: —This bird is found in parts of India, in Burma, Siam, etc. and through the Malay Peninsula to Sumatra and Borneo, although the birds from the latter locality are sufficiently distinct to merit recognition as a sub-species. Status in Singapore: —A common bird breeding in the jungle at the Botanic Gardens but on account of its very skulking habits not often seen although its very distinctive call- note must be familiar to many. Field Notes:—This babbler has a characteristic call note which can be most aptly written “‘What-you-doing’’, The words always seem to us as remarkably distinct. Although the bird is found during the day in thick cover, and always either alone or with its mate and young family, it seems to have a habit of getting up very early and making tours in somewhat unexpected districts. [186] THE BROWN-BACKED TIT-BABBLER Thus from the verandah of a house in Fort Canning Road we used often, in the early morning, to hear the quite un- mistakable note of this species as one solitary bird worked its way from garden to garden down the road, no doubt to retire to a less populous area before the sun was very high. Like- wise a friend of ours has noticed that in the early morning one or two of these birds will pass the Labrador Villa—calling to each other as they worked through the bushes and undergrowth fringing the coast. When once the bird is located it often allows a close approach and then the feature that one can readily pick out of an otherwise dull picture is the somewhat rufous wash on the flanks which seems even more pronounced in a living bird than in a museum skin. Other habits :—Although we have seen young birds being fed by their parents in the patch of jungle at the Botanic Gardens we have never found a nest. Mr. Stuart Baker writing of the bird’s habits in India and Burma says; ‘‘It breeds only in deep, wet tree-forest with ample undergrowth and - preferably near some stream, making a massive nest of dead leaves, weeds and grass with an inner cup of leaves, roots and weeds compactly bound together and lined with some fern- palm, near the ground. The eggs number three to five and ‘are very beautiful, the ground-colour varies from a very pale to a rich pale salmon pink, whilst the markings consists of spots, blotches and lines of deep red-brown with paler spots of light red and neutral tint’’. Of about the same size as T. abbotti is Anuropsis malac- censis. This babbler is furthermore very similar in plumage to abbotti but it may be distinguished by its even yet longer legs, the much whiter throat and the grey face. It is not uncommonly met with in those parts of the Botanic Gardens in which the vegetation is wild and thick and like abboiti it slips about the undergrowth and is of skulking habits. The voice is very characteristic and consists of a run of clear distinct whistles. [187] THE BIRDS OF SINGAPORE ISLAND A third species of a like size and again very similar in plumage and habits to these two is Aethostoma rostratum. It is, however, a darker brown on the back and almost pure white below. It appears to be not uncommon on Pulau Ubin and we have seen it in the mangrove in Singapore. Other Babblers Only two other babblers deserves mention here. The yellow-breasted babbler, Mixornis rubricapilla pileata has the crown and the whole of the upper parts including the wings and tail brown tinged with rufous. The underparts are yellow, washed with dull green on the flanks and with the throat and breast streaked with thin, short, black marks. The length is just over 5 inches and the bird is thus ‘‘sparrow-size’’ or rather smaller. We have never seen it in the gardens or very near the town but in the country districts it is far from uncommon. It prefers the rough country, tall, tangled under- growth and the jungle rather than the more open planted up areas. Cyanoderma crythropterum is a small brown bird with ‘ slaty-blue throat and breast and can be recognised by the bare areas of blue skin about the eyes. It is a forest dweller. [188] THRUSHES Turdide Tuis family includes the familiar song-thrush or ‘‘mavis”’ and the blackbird of Europe as well as the smaller and equally well-known redstarts, stonechats and wheatears, etc. All thrushes, whatever their adult plumage, are spotted when young and they furthermore differ from their nearest allies, the warblers, in that they have no spring moult. Many of the species are beautiful songsters. Roughly thirty kinds have been recorded from the Malay Peninsula but a large percentage of these are not familiar birds and are not likely to be met with by the amateur. The water-loving forktails (Henicurine) and the whistling thrushes (Myrophoneus) are not met with in Singapore where the magpie robin and the shama, both mentioned in greater detail below, are the only members of the family likely to be observed. . [184 J RAFFLES LIBRARY SINGAPORE THE MAGPIE-ROBIN Copsychus saularis musicus (Raffles) Malay name : —Murai. Description: —This is the sprightly black and white thrush- like bird so common in Singapore gardens. The male has the upper parts together with the chin, throat and breast glossy 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 chin, throat and breast are grey 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. Irides brown, bill black, legs dark grey. The bird runs to 9 inches in length with a wing of about 4 inches. Distribution: —Forms of Copsychus saularis 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 ie and in most other places to attract notice. It breeds frecly on the island. [190] ‘snonnut suppose snoisdoy - "NIGOU SIdOVW AHL “spa, -p0ayT “py 5 dq unpacy a x —_ we net wl Pris a lhe: x : ; : harie wo aunt Ts ‘, THE MAGPIE-ROBIN Field Notes :—This bird is not only of thrush size but also very thrush-like in its actions. It hops about the lawns and tennis courts in a bold and confident manner, regales us with wonderful music when the spirit moves it and provides ample amusement when the males are assiduously courting the hens and singing one against the other with such goodwill that we often pause to wonder that they find it worth while! Other habits: —The murai makes a large cup-like nest of grass which is placed in the fork of a smallish tree, or in the Botanic Gardens very frequently in a palm in -which case the nest is wedged in between the stalk-leaf and the stem of the - palm: According to Ridley nests are sometimes placed on a beam beneath the verandah of a house. [With the black and white plumage of a magpie and the confiding habits and jerky movements of a robin this engaging bird is probably the best known in the Island. It may be seen in most gardens, either on the lawn or perched on a branch or on the verandah rail uttering its very melodious and charming though short song. It also frequents the less dense jungle in rural districts but has no fear of man and is a favourite and tame cage bird. It is very pugnacious and bold and has royal battles with its brothers, It has a curious habit of sharply raising and lowering its tail just as does a robin or English hedge-sparrow. It feeds on worms and insects: it properly nests in thick shrubs but often builds almost anywhere; in a hollow stump used for training orchids, in an old tin, in a hole in a wall, under the eaves of a house and even in a constantly used stable; about four eggs are as a rule laid of a pale-blue ground colour blotched and spotted with brown.—J. A. S. B.1. [191] THE SHAMA Kittacincla malabarica tricolor (Vieill.) Malay name :—Murai batu. Description: —The shama is a striking and handsome bird, very like the magpie-robin in shape but with a much longer tail. The male has the head, neck, back and wings shining black, the rump pure white and the breast and abdomen deep chestnut. The tail is black and white. The colours do not merge into each other but join in sharply defined lines. A straight line across the lower throat marks the black and chest- nut zones and another line on the lower back separates the white rump from the black back. Females are not so bright as the males; the chestnut of the underparts being replaced by rich yellowish-brown. The tail is also shorter. The iris is brown, the bill black and the feet pale fleshy colour. In the male, the total length is about 11 inches and the wing 3? inches. Distribution: —The shama is found in India, the Indo- Chinese countries, the Malay Peninsula and thence throughout the islands of Borneo, Sumatra, Java, etc. Other members of the genus occur in the Philippines. Status in Singapore:—The shama is not sncommon in Singapore, but it is much more retiring in its habits than the magpie-robin, being found in the thick woods rather than the open country. Birds may often be seen in the Botanic Gardens but even in this limited environment they display their natural preference for seclusion, sulking among the undergrowth or in the jungle rather than appearing on the paths and lawns. Their presence is usually betrayed by their most beautiful voice. [192] THE SHAMA Ridley, drawing his conclusions from the somewhat uncertain appearance of the species in the gardens, thought that it was migratory and indeed it does appear, like many other local species, to be subject to movements of a kind; but a certain number of shamas are certainly resident en the island and some breed on Bukit Timah. Field Notes:—This bird is one of the most beautiful of our local songsters. Its voice resembles in a very large degree that of the magpie-robin but is even more varied, richer and louder. Seen at a distance it rather resembles its commoner relative, but at close quarters the chestnut underparts and longer tail are distinctive. Other habits: —Mr. Stuart Baker writes: ‘‘The Malayan Shama breeds in March, April and May, placing its nest in holes in trees or in bamboo clumps. It is always very roughly built of twigs, leaves and grass, lined with grass and fits into the hollow in which it is built. The eggs number three or four, and are very like those of the Dayal [i.c. the magpie-robin] but usually much more densely spotted and therefore more brown in general tint’’. The shama is an insectivorous bird. Ridley states that if one whistles the first few bars of its song, the bird may be drawn to the edge of the wood, coming quite close to the observer and pouring forth its melodious song. [193 | WARBLERS Sylviide Tue warblers are small birds usually of plainly coloured plumage. They are frequently very fine singers and it may be noted that that expert performer the blackcap is a warbler. Other well-known European members of the family are the white-throats and the reed and sedge warblers. In Malaya the most noticeable warblers are the tiny tailor-birds so very remarkable by reason of their wonderful nests which are literally sewn together, and for their calls, of a loudness out of all proportion to the size of these birds. | 194] Pi ath! ) Cia Drawn by G. A. Levett-Yeats. THE BLACK-NECKED TAILOR-BIRD. Orthotomus atrigularis, Lf aa a i ae i ee ie ™ Pee Tea ee eee ; : il. 5 tei a a mera Th: . 7 fat het “ih - a wt int he he ¥ : r —F LB i _ as @ i —_ a j ie — 7 | = = . rot eh). ie ons ' a ie Pye oe "7 | bee al = | i - 7 - | +; = THE BLACK-NECKED TAILOR-BIRD Orthotomus atrogularis (Temm.) Description: —The top of the head chestnut, the upper parts green, lower parts white with the throat and fore-neck black. The female has no black on the throat, etc. and young males often have these parts not wholly black but streaked with white, The irides are yellowish-brown and the bill and feet brown. This small species is usually about 44 to 5 inches in length and has a wing of approximately 1} inches. Distribution :—The black-necked tailor-bird is found from Northern India to Annam and t' ence southward to Sumatra and Borneo. Status in Singapore:—One of the common garden birds of the island and a cheery little fellow usually seen flitting about the bushes in a confiding manner in well-populated places. Other habits :—The tailor-birds of course owe their trivial name to the skill with which they construct their nests. Lilac Kingfisher .. Little Egret pee Green Heron ee ong-billed Spider-hunter ... Long-tailed Green Pigeon Lories ine Magnpie-Robin = Maklot’s Sunbird . Malachite-Shouldered Bulbul Sraiavan Banded Rail Malayan Black Woodpecker Malayan Blue-throated Barbet Malayan Brahminy Kite Malayan Brain-fever Bird Malayan Crested Nightjar Malayan Crested Swift Malayan Cuckoo Shrike Malayan Eagle Owl ms Malayan Fairy Bluebird... Malayan Grackle .. at Malayan House Swift Malayan Kingfisher Malayan Long-tailed Parroquet Malayan Nightjar Malayan Pigmy Woodpecker Malayan Bay Woodpecker Malayan Pipit tea Malayan Rufous Woodpecker Malavan Scarlet Pitta ois Spotted Dove Malayan x Stork-billed Kin g- Malayan fisher Malayan Tree Sparrow Malayan Trogon ... alayan Walla tecuuten Sun- bird: sat ask Martin Megapode Minivet am) PAGE Moore’s Olive Bulbul 184 Moorhen ve ee Morhen, Eastern ... 74 Munia, Chestnut-bellied 210 Munia, Hodgson’s 211 Munia, Javan White-breasted 211 Munia, Spotted arr Munia, White-headed 210 Nicobar Pigeon a A5 Nightjar 140 Nightjar, Malayan 14 Nightjar, Malayan Crested » 143 Nuthatches vs 244 Nutmeg Pigeon 65 Olive Bulbul 176 Orange-bellied Flower-Pecker 230 Oriole, Elechnavet 234 Osprey . 103 Owls 104 Owl, Barn 106 Owl, Brown Hawk 110 Owl, Collared Scops 107 Owl, Fishing . 105 Painted Snipe Panayan Tern 76 Parroquet, Blue-crowned Hang- ing 113 Parroquet, Blue-rumped 113 Parroguet, Malayan n Longtailed 112 Parrot TIr Partridge 28 Partridge, Red- legged 31 Peacock Pheasant 20 Peafow!l 20 Pelican ea 77 Perching Birds .. 164 Petrel, Swinhoe's Fork-tailed a6 Pheasant " a. 28 Pheasant, Argus .. 20 Pheasant, Peacock 20 Philippine Shrike 198 Picarian Birds — . 114 Pied Cuckoo- Shrike 174 Pied Imperial Pigeon 65 Pigeon 45 Pigeon, Cinnamon-headed Green 33 Pigeon,.Common Green 47 Pigeon, Green Imperial yea Pigeon, Long-tailed Green ... 64 Pigeon, Nicober ... - 85 Pigeon, Nutmeg ... és Pigeon, Pied Imperial a OS Pigeon, Pink-necked Green . 47 Pigeon, Small Green oe Pink-headed Fruit-Dove as ED [239] Pink-necked Green Pigeon ... Pintail Snipe Me a Pipit,.Malayan Pitta Pitta, Larger Blue-winged . Pitta, Lesser Blue-winged .. Pitta, Malayan Scarlet at Plover, Golden... Plover, Grey Plover, Kentish ry ms Plover, Sand a sb Pond Heron ve Purple Coot Purple Heron ng Purple-headed Sunbird Quail ies Quail, Blue-breasted uail, Button ate Beales apie toss Wood- pecker Rail Rail, Blue-breasted ‘Banded . Rail, Malayan Banded i Raptore an Red Jungle Fowl... Red-headed Tailor-Bird Red-legged Partridge Redshank Red-whiskered Bulbul Reef Heron Rhinoceros Hornbill Roller bite Roller, Eastern ... Roseate Tern Ruddy Crake ; $5 Rufous-bel lied HaWk-Eagle Sand Grouse fe “3 Sand Plover ye Te Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper, Wood Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker. Sea-Swallow Serpent-Eagle, Crested Shama. = Shrike Shrike, Brown Shrike, Chestnut- crowned Shrike, Philippine _ . Shrike, Thick billed Small "Green Pigeon Smal! Olive Bulbul Small Malayan Spine-tailed Swift one bee PAGE 47 «© nipe, Pintail 78 Solitaire 235 Sparrow, House 164 Sparrow, Java... 166 Sparrow, Malayan Tree 167. Sparrow Hawk _... ve 167 Spider-hunter, Grey-breasted 77 “Spider-hunter, Long-billed “8 Spine-tailed Swift 77, Spotted Munia 77. + Starling 34 Starling, Glossy- tree 66 Stork . $4 Stork, White 21. 220 Swinhoes’ F ork-tailed Petrel 28 Sunbird 32 Sunbird, Brown-throated 36 Sunbird, Maklot’s Sunbird, Malayan Yellow- 150 breasted . 66 Sunbird, Purple-headed 68 Swallow 2 ;4 Swallow, Eastern 94 Swallow, sre i 29 Swallow, Sea 196 Swan 31 Swift ai -8 Swift, Eastern Palm 176 Swift, Malayan Crested 84 Swift, Malayan House 134 Swift, Small ie pe Spine- 126 tailed 127 Swift, ‘Spine-tailed’: =f Swift, Tufted Tree 73 Tailor-bird, Ashy 103 Tailor-bird, Black 45 Tailor-bird, Red-headed 37 Teal, Cotton -- Leal, Whistling f ern FH Kas Tern, Black-naped ; 3 Tern, Common European .. 4 Tern, Gull-billed . ase 103 Tern, Large-crested x 192 ern, Panayan 197 Tern, Roseate .. 108 Thick-billed Shrike — 198 Thrush 198 Titmouse ae 198 ody. - Bi Ca 34 Trogon fe 184 Trogon, Large Malayan Black- eaded ¥ 13906 - Frogon, Malayan [240] Tufted Tree-Swift Turkey a4: Turnstone Vulture Wawer W agtail Wagtail, Forest Wagtail, Yellow ... Warbler - 11 Warbler, Willow ... Warbler, Wren W ater-Cock Water-hen, White-breasted ... Ww ater-Rail W eaver-Bird W himbrel Whistling Teal White Stork W hite-bellied Sea-Eagle W hite-breasted Kingfisher W hite-breasted Munia White-breasted Water-hen ... W hite-collared minansher W hite-eye W hite-eye, Hume’ s W hite-headed Munia Willow Warbler ... Wood Sandpiper ... 1306 Woodpecker 28 Woodpecker, Banboo Green . 78 Woodpecker, Banded Red ... Gd Enea Buff-necked Bar- 7 re 235 Woodpecker, Burmese Pigmy 235 Woodpecker, Common Golden- 235 backed ate ae 194 Woodpecker, Common-winged 235 Green a OF 235 Woodpecker, Fiery-rumped ... 74. Woodpecker, Fulvous-rumped z Barred aed eat 66 Woodpecker, Grey and Buff Woodpecker, Malayan Rufous . Woodpecker, Malayan Bay ... Hl Woodpecker, Malayan Black Os Woodpecker, Malayan Pigmy 1213 Woodpecker, Raffles Three- toed wc Ay Wren Wren-W arbler 234 Yellow Bittern 234 Yellow Wagtail 310 Yellow-breasted Babbler 235 Yellow-necked Bittern 77 Yellow-vented Bulbul [241] RAFFLES LIBRARY SINGAPORE INDEX TO TECHNICAL NAMES* abbotti (Malacocincla) i Accipiter gularis ... eh Accipitriformes ... Wks acuticauda (Munia) mee Aegithina tiphia ie aenea (Muscadivora) § Aethopyga siparaja ae Aethostoma rostratum od albiventris (Hypotaenidia) ... Alcedinidae at Alcedo atthis bengalensis = Alcedo meninting Alophonerpes pulverulentus .. Alseonax latirostris > Amaurornis phoenicura java- nica aah amicta (Nyctiornis) xr amurensis (Butorides) anaetheta (Sterna) aa analis (Pycnonotus) ~ Anseriformes oes an Anthracoceros convexus : Anthreptes malaccensis ... Anthus richardi malayensis ... Anuropsis malaccensis “a Aplonis panayensis strigatus Apus affinis subfurcatus ... Arachnothera affinis modesta Arachnothera longirostris Ardea cinerea i - Ardea sumatrana bee Ardeiformes ee argentina (Columba) oa Artamides sumatrensis atricapilla (Munia) atrogularis (Orthotomus) aureola (Emberiza) ne auritus (Dryobates) is australis (ery serine) ore badia (Hirundo) . vi badius (Merops) ... ry Batrachostomus stellatus Baza lophotes = a 2) = a = ‘, < 4 < = f S * 2) = i © et i = | - = = ==] = ac) oe ae S a] a & Drawn by G, A. Levetl-V eats. THE JAVAN FANTAIL FLYCATCHER. Rhipidura javanica. Drawn by G. A. Levett- Yeats. THE PIED CUCKOO-SHRIKE., Lalage nigra. LS. Gs Drawn by G. A. Levetl- Yeats. THE YELLOW-VENTED BULBUL. Pyenonotus quoirgier analis. Drawn by G. A. Levett- Yeats. THE MAGPIE ROBIN. Copsycus saularis musicus. Pi ath! ) Cia Drawn by G. A. Levett-Yeats. THE BLACK-NECKED TAILOR-BIRD. Orthotomus atrigularis, Le J nal Drawn by G. A. Levett- Y eats. THE LARGER RACQUET-TAILED DRONGO, Diase ius paradisus platurus. i all eer] c 2 4 - a Pad ae 5 q rs = Drawn by G. A, Levelt- Yeats. THE JAVAN HILL-MYNAH. Gracula javana. Drawn by GA. Levett- Yeats, THE MALAYAN GLOSSY TREE-STARLING, Lamprocorax panayensts strigata. ~— i= <. - 2 — Cpe) he * Pe * Drawn by G. A. Levelt: Yeats. THE JAVA SPARROW. Munia orytivora, Drawn by G. A. Levett-Yeats. THE WHITE-HEADED MUNIA. Munia maja. , Drawn by G. A. Levett- Yeats. THE MALAYAN BROWN-THROATED SUN-BIRD. Anthreptes malaccensts, Drawn by G. A. Levett- Yeats. THE ORIENTAL TREE-SPARROW, Passer monlaniis malaccensis. Drawn by G. A, Levelt- Yeats. THE ORANGE-BELLIED FLOWER-PECKER. Dicacum trigonostigma.