108 COMMON BIRDS OF AN INDIAN GARDEN 



panied by the fall of showers of chips. The chips 

 were sometimes hammered directly off, but oftener 

 they were merely loosened by a series of blows and 

 then picked off and thrown away. Whilst working, 

 the bird clung to the bark like a wood-pecker, 

 with the end of its tail pressed closely against the 

 surface, so as to serve as an additional support 

 save when it was momentarily jerked outwards on 

 each successive blow. For a time all went well; 

 presently the male dayal returned to the tree, but 

 as he alighted at a point from which the barbet 

 was invisible, and as, curiously enough, his atten- 

 tion did not seem to be attracted by the sounds of 

 the hammering, the work went on uninterrupted 

 by his arrival. Now, however, the female dayal 

 also turned up, and settled on a twig commanding 

 a good outlook, a fact of which the barbet seemed 

 to be fully aware, as it at once stopped hammering 

 and lay flat and motionless against the bark. In 

 spite of all its precaution it was almost at once 

 detected, and the dayal, after looking at it atten- 

 tively for a few moments, flew down, drove it away, 

 and having critically examined the result of its 

 labours, retired to her own nest. Once again one 

 of the barbets returned, and was very soon joined 

 by its mate. The arrival of the latter, was, however, 

 more than the male dayal could tolerate ; so he flew 

 over, alighted close to it, set up his tail, held his 

 bill well aloft, sang in an insulting fashion, and 



