6 BIRDS OF THE PLAINS 



"The eel's foe, the heron" {Ardea cinered), need not 

 detain us long, although he is a common bird in 

 both England and India, for the Punjab is too dry to 

 be a favourite resort of waders. There is, however, a 

 heron in the "Zoo" at Lahore who lives happily enough 

 among the ducks and storks in spite of the way in 

 which the kites worry him when he is at supper. 



The blue-rock pigeon {Coluniba livid) is another 

 English bird found in the Punjab. This must not 

 be confounded with its cousin {Columba ititennedid) the 

 very common Indian blue pigeon, of which so many 

 have taken up their quarters in the Montgomery Hall. 

 The European form is not nearly so abundant, and is 

 distinguished by its paler colour and by the fact that its 

 lower back is white instead of bluish grey. 



The family of birds of prey affords us a large number 

 of species common to England and India. Almost all 

 the well-known English raptores are found in India 

 — the peregrine falcon, the marsh harrier, the hen- 

 harrier, the merlin, the kestrel, the sparrow-hawk, and the 

 buzzard. All these are considerably more abundant in 

 India than in the British Isles. 



Thus far we have spoken chiefly of birds that are 

 found in the plains of India all the year round. Wc 

 have now to deal with migrants. As was to be 

 expected, many of these are common to Hindustan and 

 to England. 



Surprising as it may seem, stationary birds are the 

 exception rather than the rule. The majority of 

 species, like viceroys and lieutenant-governors, divide 

 their time more or less equally between two different 



