156
WILLIAM MACNAE
Passerine birds are not common in the mangal, although the
Malayan bird reports by Medway and Wells (1963, 1964) and Medway
and Nisbet (1965) indicate that they are very common in the nypa zone
behind. Within the mangal of Malaya the grey tit Parus major L. and
the flycatcher Muscicapa rujgastra Raffles seem to be restricted t o the
mangal (Medway, personal communication) and the pied fan-tailed
flycatcher Rhipidura javanica (Sparrm.), the yellow-vented bulbul
Pycnonotus goiaver (Scop.), and the olive bulbul P. plumosus Blyth are
certainly also common in but not restricted to mangals.
I n Borneo, Smythies (1960) lists a mangrove whistler Pachycephala
cinerea (Blyth) and Zosterops chloris Buonaparte as being common in
mangals. He also states that Nectarinia chalcostetha Jardine shows a
distinct preference for the flowers of species of Bruguiera.
I n the vicinity of the fishing villages and townships built on stilts
within and a t the edges of mangals, in Malaya and in southern Thailand,
the crow Corvus macrorhynchus Wagler is a common scavenger. In
eastern and southern Africa Corvus albus Muller, the pied crow, occupies
a similar niche.
B. Amphibians and reptiles
The edges of mangrove creeks and the banks of rivers running
through mangals are the haunt of the largest of the crocodiles, Crocodilus
porosus Schneider, which extends from Ceylon and south India t o south
China, the Philippines and Australia. The African C. niloticus Laurenti
comes down into estuarine mangals in eastern Africa, but is not
restricted to them. The water monitors Varanus niloticus (Kuhl.) in
Africa and 8. salvator (Laur.) in South East Asia from Ceylon t o
Indonesia are also common in mangals. Loveridge (1945) ascribed the
wide distribution of the latter to its ability as a swimmer. Its compressed tail and valvular nostrils are, no doubt, adaptations t o a
semi-aquatic existence. Hydrophiid snakes are of common occurrence
throughout the Indo-Australian archipelago (Smith, 1926). They have
formed a source of leather in the Philippines.
Two pit vipers Trimeresurus wagleri (Boie) and T . purpureomaculatus (Gray) occur within the mangal. They are sluggish snakes and do
not move away when disturbed. They occur only within the Malay
Peninsula and Thailand south of the isthmus of lira and in Sumatra.
Boiga dendrophila (Boie) a cat snake, Fordonia leucobalia (Schleg.) and
Bitia hydroides Gray also occur in the Malayan area, Cerberus rhynchops
(Schmid.), the dog-headed water snake, may be very common and has
been seen to enter crab burrows, presumably in search of its prey.
One frog Runa cancrivora Gravenhorst has been reported by Pearse
WILLIAM MACNAE
Passerine birds are not common in the mangal, although the
Malayan bird reports by Medway and Wells (1963, 1964) and Medway
and Nisbet (1965) indicate that they are very common in the nypa zone
behind. Within the mangal of Malaya the grey tit Parus major L. and
the flycatcher Muscicapa rujgastra Raffles seem to be restricted t o the
mangal (Medway, personal communication) and the pied fan-tailed
flycatcher Rhipidura javanica (Sparrm.), the yellow-vented bulbul
Pycnonotus goiaver (Scop.), and the olive bulbul P. plumosus Blyth are
certainly also common in but not restricted to mangals.
I n Borneo, Smythies (1960) lists a mangrove whistler Pachycephala
cinerea (Blyth) and Zosterops chloris Buonaparte as being common in
mangals. He also states that Nectarinia chalcostetha Jardine shows a
distinct preference for the flowers of species of Bruguiera.
I n the vicinity of the fishing villages and townships built on stilts
within and a t the edges of mangals, in Malaya and in southern Thailand,
the crow Corvus macrorhynchus Wagler is a common scavenger. In
eastern and southern Africa Corvus albus Muller, the pied crow, occupies
a similar niche.
B. Amphibians and reptiles
The edges of mangrove creeks and the banks of rivers running
through mangals are the haunt of the largest of the crocodiles, Crocodilus
porosus Schneider, which extends from Ceylon and south India t o south
China, the Philippines and Australia. The African C. niloticus Laurenti
comes down into estuarine mangals in eastern Africa, but is not
restricted to them. The water monitors Varanus niloticus (Kuhl.) in
Africa and 8. salvator (Laur.) in South East Asia from Ceylon t o
Indonesia are also common in mangals. Loveridge (1945) ascribed the
wide distribution of the latter to its ability as a swimmer. Its compressed tail and valvular nostrils are, no doubt, adaptations t o a
semi-aquatic existence. Hydrophiid snakes are of common occurrence
throughout the Indo-Australian archipelago (Smith, 1926). They have
formed a source of leather in the Philippines.
Two pit vipers Trimeresurus wagleri (Boie) and T . purpureomaculatus (Gray) occur within the mangal. They are sluggish snakes and do
not move away when disturbed. They occur only within the Malay
Peninsula and Thailand south of the isthmus of lira and in Sumatra.
Boiga dendrophila (Boie) a cat snake, Fordonia leucobalia (Schleg.) and
Bitia hydroides Gray also occur in the Malayan area, Cerberus rhynchops
(Schmid.), the dog-headed water snake, may be very common and has
been seen to enter crab burrows, presumably in search of its prey.
One frog Runa cancrivora Gravenhorst has been reported by Pearse