20 GLIMPSES OF INDIAN BIRDS 



The minivets are the leaders of fashion as regards 

 the reds and yellows. The cocks vie with the hens 

 as to who shall be the more resplendent, and, in so 

 doing, make short work of the attempts of Wallace and 

 Darwin to explain sexual difference in plumage. In 

 most species of minivets the cocks are arrayed in 

 bright scarlet, whence the name Cardinal - bird, 

 rich crimson, deep rose colour, flaming red, or soft 

 orange, while their respective wives are studies in the 

 various shades of yellow. But the beauty of the 

 minivet is not merely that of colouring. The elegance 

 of its slender, well-proportioned form rivals that of the 

 wagtail. 



Minivets are little birds with longish tails which flit 

 about among the leaves of trees in flocks of half a dozen, 

 conversing in low but exceedingly melodious tones. 



They are veritable nomads. They never remain long 

 in one place, except, of course, when nesting. Without 

 apparently ever taking a prolonged flight, the flocks 

 of minivets must traverse very considerable tracts of 

 country. They never leave the neighbourhood of trees. 

 Their habit is to pass methodically from tree to tree, 

 tarrying awhile at each, seeking for insects now on the 

 topmost branches, where the dainty forms of the birds 

 stand out sharp and clear against the azure sky, now 

 lost to view amid the denser foliage. 



Few are the lurking insects that escape the bright 

 little eye of the minivet. Even those resting on parts 

 of the tree where a bird cannot obtain a foothold do 

 not escape, for the minivet is able to seize them while 

 hovering in the air on vibrating wings. Occasionally, 



