THE FATIK-JAL 117 



or four birds in the same tree enjoying a joy- 

 ful dinner. This is not a social gathering but 

 a purely family group. The one or the other 

 of the foad parents generally looks after and, 

 perhaps, educates the children by practi- 

 cally demonstrating to them how to fly 

 and hunt — even when they are grown up 

 and ready to take the chances of life in- 

 dependently. After the day's incessant 

 hunt for food, when the bird retires to 

 roost at dusk, it rolls itself up into a ball 

 and tucking its head and bill under the 

 feathers goes snugly to sleep. 



The flight of this bird, though rapid, 

 can scarcely be said to be graceful. It is 

 a combination of quick flappings of the 

 wings and dipping of the body, which 

 produces a strange sound. The lora catches its 

 prey on the wing sometimes, but comes down 

 to a branch or to the ground to swallow 

 it. Larvae, spiders, caterpillars, and small 

 insects chiefly form its food. From an 

 economic point of view, it is distinctly 

 beneficial, as it feeds on injurious insects. 



