202 COMMON BIRDS OF AN INDIAN GARDEN 



dry. It would seem either that the sites of the 

 nests are craftily selected in local elevations, or that 

 the parent birds sit with extreme devotion whilst a 

 deluge lasts ; but, be the cause what it may, there 

 can be no doubt that disaster rarely overtakes the 

 young birds. Accidents must, however, sometimes 

 take place, and it is perhaps in connection with 

 the liability to this that the habit of rearing a second 

 brood has been so highly developed in the species. 

 After the young birds are hatched out it becomes 

 much easier to find the nests, as, in spite of the 

 rapid increase in the growth of the grass resulting 

 from frequent showers, the visits of the owners in 

 coming and going for supplies of food more than 

 make up for the greater density of the cover. 



