42 Mr. P. W. Munn on the Birds 



wonderfully fertile, and the country is never so bare nor the 

 trees so dust-laden ; for during the hot season the stubble of 

 the former crop^ and the weeds which contrive to flourish in 

 spite of the droughty as well as the quantity of grass in many 

 places^ prevent the fields from assuming that parched and 

 arid appearance which is noticeable elsewhere. The trees 

 also are now out in the fullest leaf, most of them being ever- 

 greens, and having both old and new leaves on in the dry 

 season, the old ones to be dropped as soon as the young have 

 attained their full growth. Thus the country has quite a 

 fresh, fertile appearance, in spite of the heat and drought. 



The scientific names in these notes are mostly taken from 

 Oates^s " Birds '^ in Blanford's ' Fauna of British India,' 

 and from his edition of Hume's ' Nests and Eggs of Indian 

 Birds.' 



1. CORVUS MACRORHYNCHUS. (JuUglc CrOW.) 



The Jungle Crow is a common resident and generally dis- 

 tributed ; although usually found in wooded parts away from 

 habitations, it not unfrequently associates with the House 

 Crow in the villages. It is an early breeder, usually having 

 young by the middle of April, and in this district cocoanut- 

 palms are preferred for nesting in. 



2. CoRvus sPLENDENs. (Housc Crow.) 



Very plentiful and resident. They begin building as early 

 as February, though the eggs are not laid much before April ; 

 but not one half of the Crows about Titaghur breed at all, 

 very few nests being found in proportion to the number of 

 birds. Every evening they retire to roost in certain clumps 

 of trees in immense numbers, in company with Acridotheres 

 tristis and Sturnopastor contra. During a flight of locusts 

 in November 1890, they fed greedily on the insects, catching 

 them in the air and clumsily imitating the Kites in attempting 

 to devour them without alighting. 



3. Dendrocitta rufa. (Indian Tree- Pie.) 



Very common, generally distributed, and resident. The 

 Tree-Pie is a great robber of other birds' nests, devouring 

 both eggs and young. During the breeding-season they are 



