NOISY BIRDS 285 



bird given in books on ornithology : it rarely flies, and, 

 if chased, sprints along the ground amid the corn and 

 " never runs straight, but makes as many turnings as a 

 hare." After tramping the fields for nearly an hour, the 

 aforesaid household returned home with the poor satis- 

 faction of having provided some amusement for the bird. 



I am told that debating societies are often at their 

 wits' ends to find subjects for debate which have not 

 been discussed ad nauseam. If this be so, I would 

 suggest as a new subject — " Which is the more deserv- 

 ing of the title ' Brain-fever Bird,' the Indian hawk- 

 cuckoo or the corn-crake?" Anglo-Indians will, of 

 course, plump for the Oriental bird, which certainly has 

 in its favour one strong point : it names the disease it 

 tries to give you. It shrieks : " Brain fever, brain fever, 

 BRAIN FEVER," until you think its syrinx must burst ! 

 But which is the greater evil — a succession of series 

 of crescendo notes or one continuous rasping sound ? 



The Indian bird is certainly assisted by the climate. 

 It makes a noise only in the hot weather. It avoids 

 the hills. It does not patronize the city of Madras, for 

 the reason that the climate is rarely warm enough for 

 it. It cannot sing to advantage when the thermometer 

 stands at anything like 90° in the shade. Nay, in the 

 Punjab, when the iced drinks hiss as they come into 

 contact with the parched throat, is its ideal climate. 

 But you can see and shoot a brain-fever bird, which is 

 more than you can do to a corn-crake. 



Take away the latter bird from the English team, 

 and what have you left? A lamentable "tail" com- 

 posed of rooks, magpies, and starlings. I do not take 



