248 BOMBAY DUCKS 



The birds, both male and female, work like Trojans, 

 and in this respect set a good example to human work- 

 men. The husband and wife labour at the nest in 

 turn. Each relief lasts about a quarter of an hour. 

 The nest has no lining of any kind ; the eggs are laid 

 on the bare wood, and the young, when hatched, have 

 to lie on this hard couch. It has never been my good 

 fortune to follow closely the nesting operations of 

 the coppersmith. However, a pair of green barbets 

 {Thereiceryx zeylonicus) once nested in an old pipal 

 tree in my garden compound at Fyzabad, and so 

 afforded me an opportunity of noting some of their 

 habits. 



Although the green barbet is found in most parts of 

 India, he is not so well known as his cousin, the copper- 

 smith. His cry is a loud Kurtur, kiirtur, kurturuk. 

 He would be a handsome bird but for his face. This is 

 not sarcasm. Among birds the face is not so vital a 

 feature as with human beings. A fine figure and 

 beautiful feathers, rather than good features, determine 

 whether a bird is handsome or otherwise. The plumage 

 of the green barbet leaves little to be desired. Essen- 

 tially a bird of the greenwood tree, it partakes of the 

 hue of its surroundings. As it flies among the branches 

 its plumage appears to be of a uniform rich leafy green — 

 the colour of the foliage in England after a rainy July 

 day. Some brown feathers are visible in the head and 

 neck, giving them a golden sheen under the influence of 

 the sun's rays. 



The bird has, however, a bare patch of yellow skin 

 round each eye, which gives it a worn, haggard appear- 



