XXV 



THE INDIAN WHITE-EYE 



THE Indian white-eye [Zosterops palpebrosa) 

 is a bird which should be familiar to every- 

 one who has visited the Nilgiris. To 

 wander far in a hillside wood without 

 meeting a flock of these diminutive creatures is im- 

 possible. Sooner or later a number of monosyllabic 

 notes will be heard, each a faint, plaintive cheep. On 

 going to the tree from which these notes appear to 

 emanate a rustle will be observed here and there in the 

 foliage. Closer inspection will reveal a number of tiny 

 birds flitting about among the leaves. These are white- 

 eyes — the most sociable of birds. Except when nesting, 

 they invariably go about in companies of not less than 

 twenty or thirty. Each individual is as restless as a 

 wren, so that some patience must be exercised by the 

 observer if he wish to obtain a good view of any mem- 

 ber of the flock. But by standing perfectly motionless 

 for a time under the tree in which the birds are feeding 

 he who is watching will, ere long, be able to make out 

 that the white-eye is a tiny creature, not much more 

 than half the size of a sparrow. The upper parts are 

 yellowish green, the chin, throat, and feathers under 



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