PREFACE 



It is not of the bigger jungle folk that I write — of 

 lions, tigers, leopards, bears, bison, or even deer and 

 antelopes ; for of these it is vouchsafed to no man — 

 not even to the shikari, who spends years in the jungle 

 — to obtain more than an occasional fleeting glimpse. 



The subjects of my theme are the lesser fry — viva- 

 cious mynas, noisy babblers, vociferous cuckoos, silent 

 herons, beautiful pittas, graceful wagtails, elegant 

 terns, melodious rock-chats, cheeky squirrels. 



A cheery crowd are these. The man who passes his 



days in India without knowing them misses much of the 



pleasure of life. 



D. DEWAR. 



