192 BOMBAY DUCKS 



The bird, however, does sometimes (very rarely I 

 think) snatch with its claws a small fish or a prawn 

 that is swimming near the surface of the water. Colonel 

 Cunningham thus describes some fishing operations 

 which he witnessed on a pond that had, owing to the 

 drought, become very shallow : — " For several days the 

 numbers of arrivals steadily increased, so that for a 

 time the neighbourhood of the pond was thronged by 

 hundreds of birds in various stages of plumage, and 

 filling the air with clamorous cries as they flew in 

 bewildering mazes over the water, or sat among the 

 branches of all the surrounding trees. Every now and 

 then one of the moving crowd would suddenly stop to 

 sweep along over the surface of the pond, and rise 

 again, grasping a little glittering fish, which he either 

 carried off to be devoured at leisure on a tree, or disposed 

 of while on the wing, just as common kites do when 

 hawking in a swarm of white ants." Such sights are 

 not seen every day. 



Another observer witnessed " a Brahminy kite kill 

 and eat a kingfisher that had carried off a small fish on 

 which the kite was in the act of swooping." Truly 

 there were giants in those days ! 



Brahminy kites sometimes come into collision with 

 the crows ; but then, what bird or beast does not do 

 this? In Madras the crows treat their larger neigh- 

 bours with great respect, having no liking for the feel of 

 their powerful claws. But in places where Brahminy 

 kites are uncommon birds, the crows mob them, as they 

 do all strange birds. 



Crows are very conservative. They hate any new 



