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little warbler, having a rufous head, olive-green back, and 

 white breast. From its habit of cocking up its tail as it steals 

 about a hedge or shrub, it reminds one of our Wren. The 

 skill of the Tailor-bird has often been described. Jerdon 

 says : — " The Tailor-bird makes its nest with cotton, wool, 

 and various other soft materials, sometimes also lined with 

 hair, and draws together one leaf or more, generally two 

 leaves, on each side of the nest, and stitches them together 

 with cotton, either woven by itself, or cotton-thread picked 

 up ; and after passing the thread through the leaf, it makes 

 a knot at the end to fix it." I saw the Tailor-bird again at 

 Sohagpur and Bandri, in the Central Provinces. 



When morning dawned on December 4th, it found us 

 travelling eastward from Bombay along the Great Indian 

 Peninsular Eailway. We had crossed the Ghats in the night, 

 and were passing through cultivated country amongst fields 

 of Cotton, Grass, Dal, Flax, and Wheat. From almost every 

 field the Little Brown Dove [Turtur Cambaymsis) rose in 

 ones, twos, sixes, twelves, or twenties. The Common Eiug 

 Dove {2'uitiir risoria) was almost as common. It is a grey- 

 brown bird, with a narrow, black ring or collar, like that of the 

 domestic Turtle Doves that we so often see in cages. Both 

 birds used to come daily into the garden at Hoshungabad. A 

 pair of the Little Brown Doves usually spent the day on a 

 piece of matting at the bottom of the garden, whence their 

 soft coo was to be heard at all hours. 



From the train we first made our acquaintance with that 

 gloriously-tinted bird, the Indian Roller [Corackis iiidica), 

 popularly called the "Blue Jay." When perching, the Eoller 

 has a singularly senseless look. Its flat head suggests want 

 • of brain. It draws its short neck down on to its shoulders, 

 puffing out the feathers of its head and neck, and gives you 

 the idea of stupidity. But when the Roller spreads its 

 gorgeous wings, and displays a fine series of blue shades from 

 pale sky-blue to deep violet, you are lost in wonder at the 

 trans formation . 



For brilliancy of plumage few birds excel the Indian 

 Oriole {Oiivlus hundoo), which I caught sight of at times, both 



