46 



of cawing, is it then not a wonder that the whole 

 country is not submerged in the sea of bad news 

 which must serge in day and night ? 



I wonder how many milHons of crows inhabit 

 India. Consider the distribution of the bird. I once 

 maintained that one or other of the species of crow 

 was found everywhere in India, whereupon my 

 readers encompassed me and beset me round Hke roar- 

 ing bulls of Bashan. I was given to understand in 

 no uncertain way that there were no crows in the 

 Pulneys, and that the birds were unheard of at Mount 

 Stuart, Anamalais. Not having been at either of 

 those delectable places I was obviously at a disad- 

 vantage in the controversy. However, I had the 

 satisfaction of noting that both Oorvus splendens 

 and C. macrorhnycus find a place in Dr. Fairbank's 

 list of the birds of the Pulneys, while one ^' Big Bore" 

 came to my aid as regards the crows of the Anamalais. 

 But let us not bicker over trifles. Our grey-necked 

 friend is certainly found in most parts of the country, 

 and wherever he is found he flourishes like the green 

 bay tree. To repeat what I said in Longman's 

 Magazine : 



