THE DAM A 185 



Its southern boundary is the latitude of 

 Jubbulpore and its eastern boundary is the 

 lonsrtitude of Benares, and in the west I 

 myself saw it as far as Muttra, while Dewar 

 declares it plentiful in Lahore. From April 

 to July, which are its breeding months, it 

 makes very sweet music. It is found singly 

 or in pairs upon buildings, stone -walls or 

 rocks in the vicinity of human habitations. 

 I once noticed it nesting in a building 

 adjoining my place of residence in Benares. 

 In Muttra and Brindadan, 1 found them to 

 be household birds like sparrows, feeding 

 on the crumbs and leavinors thrown out from 

 kitchens. When nesting, both the male 

 and the female become very pugnacious 

 and fiercely attack the small birds, rats, and 

 squirrels that approach the nest. It nests 

 in holes, rocks, buildings, walls, and banks. 

 When it selects a hole in a rock or cliff, and 

 finds that the entrance is too wide, it puts 

 up a wall of small stones and pellets of dry 

 mud. The female alone incubates while 

 the male sings to her. The former lays 



