DAYALS, ETC. 125 



comes out in striking contrast with the surrounding 

 tints of brown and yellow. They are shy birds, 

 and absolute stillness is necessary in order success- 

 fully to study their ways, but no one would 

 grudge the exercise of a little self-control where 

 the reward of it is such an exhibition of graceful 

 beauty. When a pair of them have found a garden 

 to their liking, they seem to visit particular parts of 

 it regularly at special hours, so that, after their 

 presence has once been detected, there is little diffi- 

 culty in securing opportunities for observing them. 



It is comforting to find that the common iora, 

 Mgithina tiphia, 1 is no longer regarded as a sort 

 of bulbul ; for, though one was fain to believe that 

 there might be satisfactory grounds for this view, 

 it always remained a mystery to the casual observer 

 how any close relationship could co-exist with such 

 extreme unlikeness of habit. loras are constant 

 inmates of gardens in Bengal, and, though they 

 may often escape notice owing to their small size 

 and the way in which the green and yellow tints 

 of their plumage match those of the surrounding 

 foliage, their very peculiar notes must be familiar 

 to every one who takes any heed of garden sounds. 

 They go about in couples, and, when a pair is 

 hunting over the leaves of a tree in quest of 

 aphides, small grubs, or other insect-food, one 

 constantly hears answering calls of " pe e e e, whew." 

 In addition to this call they have several other 



1 It is a little smaller than a common robin. 



