98 BIRDS OF THE PLAINS 



is almost invariably a good mimic, and the common 

 myna is no exception to this rule. In this respect, 

 however, he does not compare favourably with the 

 grackles or hill-mynas, as they are commonly called. 

 These can imitate any sound, from the crack of a whip 

 and the exhortations of a bullock-cart driver to the 

 throat-clearing operation in which our Indian brethren 

 so frequently indulge. 



