254 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL 



ky or a big unmanageable creature, it 

 never uses its claws to tear the prey 

 into pieces, but hammers the object 

 with its beak till portions give way. It 

 catches many insects in quick succession 

 and does not stop to swallow one before 

 it baors another. What it does is to 

 stow them away in its mouth till a 

 dozen or so are caught ; these are 

 afterwards leisurely swallowed. When 

 feeding its young, it has to bring as 

 many insects at a time as possible 

 to satisfy the ravenous hunger of its 

 youngsters, because the insects cought 

 by it are mostly minute. It is this pre- 

 ference for minute insects that leads it 

 to frequent water-sides which abound 

 with them. 



In its own particular feeding area, 

 the Khanjan refuses to concede to others 

 of its ilk the privilege of even an occasion- 

 al visit. It is fully conscious of the 

 circumscribed supply of its food. This 

 fear of short rations makes the Khanjan 



