100 COMMON BIRDS OF AN INDIAN GARDEN 



sunflowers is almost surely attended by the presence 

 of troops of doves. Just before retiring to roost 

 they come down to have a long drink and a leisurely 

 promenade on the sloping bank of some pond near 

 their night-quarters. They are almost always to 

 be met with in pairs except for short times immedi- 

 ately after nesting, when family parties, consisting 

 of two parent birds and one or two young ones, 

 may be seen going about in company. In spite 

 of their natural fearlessness and the confidence with 

 which they go about close to houses, they do not 

 readily become really tame. Even in places in 

 which they might well have learned by experience 

 that they run no risk of being molested they do 

 not like to be watched, and fly off at once when- 

 ever they become aware that any one is looking at 

 them. 



The two common green pigeons, the hariydl 

 and the chhota hariydl, are not uncommon in 

 suburban gardens at the times when the fruits 

 of certain trees are ripening ; but it is very difficult 

 to say to what extent such singularly invisible birds 

 occur. At times at which trees that they particu- 

 larly haunt, such as Ficus comosa and F. religiosa, 

 are in full leaf, it is only when on the wing that 

 green pigeons are likely to attract casual notice. 

 One may see a large flock of them come in, but 

 as they settle down among the foliage the birds 

 seem to vanish, and it is only by the closest 



