THE DHAYAL 



( COPSYCHUS SAULARIS ) 



If there is a bird, very familiar in an 

 Indian village, and has a voice exquisitely 

 sweet, it is the Dhayal. The black and 

 white markings of its body correspond so 

 nearly to those of the Magpie, that it is 

 known as the Magpie-Robin. The bird re- 

 sembles the English Robin in many of its 

 habits. Constantly jerking up its tail, it 

 loves, like the Robin, to frequent places close 

 to human habitation. Bold and vivacious, 

 it steps into our verandahs, and nests in the 

 holes and crannies of human dwellings. As 

 a songster it has no rival in the plains of 

 India, the Shama. being a bird of the forest 

 depths. Its notes are clear and varied. 

 They greet our ears the very first thing in 



