48 COMMON BIRDS OF AN INDIAN GARDEN 



to contend with in the Zoological Garden at Alipur. 

 Large collections of captive animals must everywhere 

 demand very careful supervision, but there are 

 certain special difficulties attending their manage- 

 ment in tropical countries. In a Zoological Garden 

 in Europe, if sufficient space, suitable temperature, 

 good water-supply and housing, judicious feeding, 

 and general sanitation be provided, there is hardly 

 anything left to be attended to save precautions 

 against invasion by rats and mice. But the in- 

 mates of tropical gardens are constantly exposed to 

 the attacks of hosts of other enemies. Venomous 

 snakes haunt the shrubberies and other coverts, and 

 cause much mortality, especially among ruminants ; 

 crocodiles are always ready to avail themselves of 

 any opportunities of establishing themselves in ponds 

 and playing havoc among the water-fowl; civets, 

 mungooses, Paradoxuri, and wild cats are for ever 

 on the alert for forays on the aviaries; troops of 

 jackals race howling around every night, and, if 

 they can, invade the paddocks and terrify and 

 injure the inmates ; kites and eagles are for ever 

 floating about overhead, ready to stoop on any un- 

 protected bird or small mammal; and, as though 

 all this were not enough, multitudes of crows throng 

 ceaselessly around, busy with misdeeds of one sort 

 or other; stealing food, tormenting animals out of 

 pure devilry, disturbing them when trying to rest, 

 inflicting serious and often fatal injuries on those 



