Indian birds.



145



when eating out of doors a Kite came so silently and so deftly

snatched food from her hand that she was not aware of her loss

until the bird had flown some distance from her. On another

occasion a Kite tried to snatch from her hand a paper bag containing

food. Having read similar stories I was led to inquire of my guides

and other people if these were common experiences, and learned

that they were, except that often the Kite left a painful scratch.


A pair of Kites w r as watched w T hile building their nest in

a neem-tree that stood in the hotel yard in Jaipur. The work

proceeded very slowly. The twigs were carried sometimes in the

bill, sometimes by a claw; once the bird took up the twig by its

bill, then shifted it to a foot. Bill and claw were used about equally

in the carrying. It was at Delhi that Kites were observed when

going to roost in the top of a peepul-tree. They perched among the

topmost limbs on the highest twigs, and when the coming and going

ceased there remained for the night thirty-seven of these birds.

The Kite equals, if it does not surpass, our Red-tailed Hawk in

length ; in weight it must be very light for such small boughs to

support so many of them.


The Common Myna resembles in size and build the Starling,

but has the street habits of the English Sparrow, yet in some of its

country habits it is like the Starling, especially in its fondness for

the neighbourhood of cattle and for perching on their backs. It has

a fine appearance, produced by plumage that is black on head, neck,

and throat, and iridescent vinaceous on breast and belly. When in

flight it is easily recognized by the white patches on the wings and

the white on the tail. These spots of white serve to distinguish it

from its cousin the Bank Myna ( Acridotheres (jinginianus) , on which

the wing patches are pinkish buff, as is also the tip of the tail. In

the latter species the skin around the eye is brick-red, while in the

Common Myna it is yellow. The Black-headed Myna ( Temenuclius

pagodarum ) is known as the Brahminy Myna because of its elegant

appearance and the distinguished air imparted by its long black

crest, and the elongated feathers of its neck, throat, and breast, which

in colour resemble the breast of our female Robin. This species was

seen several times in a free state, also frequently in captivity along

with its cousin, the Grey-headed Myna ( Sturnia malabarica).



