22 GLIMPSES OF INDIAN BIRDS 



arranged as to form a band running along, not across, 

 the wing during flight. This longitudinal red or yellow 

 wing-band characterises most species of minivet. His 

 tail feathers are all red, save the two median ones, 

 which are black. During flight the brilliant red seems 

 almost to obliterate the black, so that a number of 

 cocks, as they fly from one tree to another, look like 

 sparks driven before the wind. The hen is marked in 

 the same way as the cock, but in her the flaming red 

 colour is replaced by bright yellow. In my opinion, 

 " orange " is not a very suitable adjective to apply to 

 this species. A literal translation of the Latin name — 

 the flame-coloured minivet — would be more appro- 

 priate. 



A minivet 's nest is a work of art. As all the species con- 

 struct precisely the same kind of nursery, what is true 

 of any one species applies equally to all the others. The 

 nest is a neat little cup, about three inches in diameter, 

 composed of twigs and grasses, and covered outside 

 with moss and cobwebs, so that in colour and general 

 appearance the exterior is exactly like the bark of a 

 tree. It is usually placed on a bough ; if this happens 

 to be a thick one, the nest is totally invisible to any 

 person looking up into the tree. If the branch happens 

 to be a thin one, the nursery, seen from below, looks 

 exactly like a knot or swelling in the branch. Thus, 

 unless one actually sees the minivet sitting on the nest, 

 or climbs the tree, it is scarcely possible to locate the 

 little nursery. It is easy enough to discover that a pair 

 have a nest, for the parent birds make a great noise 

 when a human being comes anywhere near. If they 



