68 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL 



This bird is a winter visitant all over 

 India and leaves for the far North at the 



end of the cold season. Return- 

 *^^ ing in September, it spreads 



over the whole of India as far 

 south as Ceylon. It is extremely common 

 in Lower Bengal. It prefers, as its foraging 

 ground, thick grass-jungle near water 

 and, more specially, reedy places like sugar- 

 cane plantations, and fields with corn or 

 lono: o^rass. In Lower Benojal, it lives on 

 the edges of jheels and in damp paddy 

 fields, where it is usually seen moving 

 about under the shelter of grass growing 

 on the himds between the fields. It is 

 terrestrial in its habits, seldom perches 

 but remains mostly on the ground, and with 

 an upraised tail runs about very fast, like 

 a wagtail, with alternate steps, stopping 

 now and then to pick up an insect. But, 

 occasionally, it is seen to hawk flies in the 

 air. It is very shy and when seen, dis- 

 appears into low cover. Though its tail- 

 play is not as frequent as the birds already 



