XXVI 

 WINTER VISITORS TO THE PUNJAB PLAINS 



SIX months ago we welcomed the birds that 

 came to spend the summer with us — the 

 tiny iridescent purple sunbird, the emerald 

 bee-eater, its larger blue-tailed cousin, the 

 golden oriole, the superb paradise flycatcher, the 

 yellow-throated sparrow, the solemn night heron, 

 and the noisy koel. 



These have all built their nests, reared up their 

 families (except, of course, the koels who made the 

 crows do their nursemaids' work) and departed. The 

 sunbirds were the first, and the koels the last, to go. 

 By August the former had all disappeared, but through- 

 out the first half of October young koels were to be seen, 

 perched in trees, flapping their wings, opening a great 

 red mouth, and making creditable but ludicrous 

 attempts at cawing. 



Even the koels have now gone and will not reappear 

 until the sun once again causes us human beings to 

 wonder why we have come to this " Land of Regrets." 

 The places left vacant by the summer visitors are 

 being rapidly filled up. Lahore has for birds a winter 

 as well as a summer season. The former is the more 



157 



