Ornithological and Other Oddities 



have a case of cholera, should, within the next 

 five minutes, be gnawing at the loaf or prospect- 

 ing the sugar-basin in one's own quarters. But 

 to the familiarity of the pretty little striped 

 squirrels, and of the many charming birds which 

 adorn every Indian garden, there is no drawback. 

 Every garden bird in India is as tame as the robin 

 over here ; even the kingfisher, hunted to death 

 in Europe, will in India ply his calling fearlessly 

 before one's eyes, within a few yards, and you 

 may find him wherever there is a large pond. 



No native boy throws stones at the wild 

 things ; and though a certain number of birds 

 are captured for caging, they are better kept, 

 as a rule, than in Europe, and, for some reason 

 or other, do not resent captivity so much, as any 

 one may see in those imported into this country. 

 Moreover, the catching for cages which goes on 

 is not considerable enough to affect the numbers 

 of birds to be seen at large. It is otherwise, I 

 believe, in those parts of India where birds are 

 caught for skins, and Lord Curzon's valuable 

 enactment against the export of feathers ought 

 to do much good in this direction. A statement 

 has been made that the birds caught were 

 destructive ones, but this is absolutely false. 

 Only one species commonly killed for its skin was 

 a pest, the common green ring-necked parrakeet 



{Palceornis torquatus) ; and there is no justifica- 



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