Birds of the Indian Hills 



close to a spring from which my bhisti daily 

 draws water, the bird sitting fearlessly while 

 passed and repassed by people going down the 

 glen within a foot or two of the nest." At 

 the same station I recently had a very different 

 experience. Some weeks ago I noticed one of 

 these warblers fly with a straw in its beak to 

 a place on a steep bank under a small bush. 

 I could not see what it was doing there, but 

 in a few seconds it emerged with the bill 

 empty. Shortly afterwards it returned with 

 another straw. Having seen several pieces of 

 building material carried to the spot, I descended 

 the bank to try to find the nest. I could find 

 nothing ; the nest was evidently only just 

 commenced. I then went back to the spot 

 from which I had been watching the birds, 

 but they did not return again. I had frightened 

 them away. Individual birds of the same 

 species sometimes differ considerably in their 

 behaviour at the nesting season. Some will 

 desert the nest on the slightest provocation, 

 while others will cling to it in the most quixotic 

 manner. It is never safe to dogmatise regard- 

 ing the behaviour of birds. No sooner does 

 an ornithologist lay down a law than some 



bird proceeds to break it. 

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