14 COMMON BIRDS OF AN INDIAN GARDEN 



course of disaster might have taught them to 

 beware of crows, but they do not seem to have 

 in any way profited by it, and, in place of con- 

 veying their plunder to sheltered spots, such as 

 are afforded by almost any tree, they alight with 

 it haphazard, and, as often as not, in perfectly 

 exposed sites on the top of a wall, the projecting 

 cornice of a roof, or even on the open ground. In 

 such circumstances two crows are a match for any 

 kite, and, even a solitary one, although usually 

 having small chance of success, and so well aware 

 of this that he generally confines his attention to 

 irritating conversation and insulting gestures, occa- 

 sionally rises to the level of the situation. I once 

 saw an instance of this where a kite was busily 

 occupied with a piece of meat on the cornice of a 

 house. The crow in attendance kept on cawing 

 aloud in an insistent fashion that evidently got on 

 the nerves of the kite. He began to shift restlessly 

 about in vain effort to keep his enemy behind him, 

 and as often as he turned round had his tail sharply 

 tweaked. At last craft prevailed over force; for, 

 in one of his abrupt revolutions, he lost his hold 

 on his dinner, which fell over the ledge, and, 

 whilst he was still gazing sadly after it, was 

 secured by the crow, who darted down, and, 

 having seized it, retired to a safe shelter among 

 the twigs of a neighbouring tree, leaving his 

 victim to look around in bewildered fashion, and 



