THE BIRDS OF A MADRAS GARDEN 215 



patch of brick-red feathers under the tail, and, as if 

 for the purpose of displaying this, the tail is carried 

 almost erect. 



If there be any fruit ripening, even if it be that of 

 the cypress, green parrots {Palaeornis torquatus) 

 are certain to visit the garden. On the approach of 

 a human being these feathered marauders will fling 

 themselves into the air with wild screams, and dash 

 off, looking, as Lockwood Kipling says, like ** live 

 emeralds in the sun." 



Even more like living emeralds are the little green 

 bee-eaters {Merops viridis), whose feeble twitter may 

 emanate from any tree. Take a huge emerald and 

 cut it into the shape of a bird. Insert a pale blue tur- 

 quoise at the throat, rubies for the eyes, and set 

 these off with strips of darkest emery, let into the 

 head a golden topaz, then breathe into this collection 

 of gems the breath of life, and you will have pro- 

 duced a poor imitation of that gem of the feathered 

 world — the little emerald merops. 



If there be palm trees in the garden the presence 

 of the little palm swift {Tachornis hatassiensis) is 

 assured. Palm swifts are tiny smoky-brown birds 

 which travel unceasingly through the air in pursuit 

 of the insects on which they feed. During flight 

 the wings remain expanded, looking like a bow into 

 the middle of which the slender body is inserted. 



I had almost forgotten one of the most striking 

 birds in the world — the Indian paradise flycatcher 

 (Terpsiphone paradtsi), which certainly is entitled 

 to a place among the common birds of a Madras 



