118 . PET BIRDS OF BENGAL 



In the nesting season, the male becomes 

 exceedingly lively. It is supposed by 

 many that the lora mates for life, "till 

 death do them part". But unlike many 

 a human husband, the lora's love for its 

 lady never wanes. Every season, the cock 

 bird tries its best to please its partner 

 by showing off its physical charm and vocal 

 attainments. It would indulge in short 

 fluttering flights from tree to tree with 

 its black tail spread out and the white 

 plumes of the flanks puffed up. Sometimes, 

 it rises up into the air, and when descend- 

 ing, it comes spinning round and round, 

 its small body looking more like a fluffy 

 ball of down than a bird. All the time 

 it descends, it utters a strange protracted 

 sibilant sound. At other times, it darts 

 out from one tree with a moth or butter- 

 fly in its beak and vanishes amid the 

 foliage of another. " "When their nests 

 are meddled wil^", says Munn, *'the old 

 birds are most vociferous, crying and 

 fluttering about quite close, and often 



