216 COMMON BIRDS OF AN INDIAN GARDEN 



beauty of form and plumage and the quaint attrac- 

 tiveness of many of their ways points which strike 

 one forcibly when they are met with only as casual 

 visitors and in relatively small numbers are for- 

 gotten. It is, indeed, wonderful how soon a hatred 

 for them may arise in places in which they abound. 

 A striking and unforgotten instance of this occurred 

 more than twenty years ago in Delhi. A lady, who 

 had just come up from Calcutta, took me severely 

 to task for objecting to the flocks of parrots which 

 swarm everywhere in and around the town, and 

 with which I was only too familiar, owing to former 

 prolonged residence in the place. She pointed out 

 so forcibly that they really were a most attrac- 

 tive feature in the landscape that I took the 

 rebuke meekly, and even began to feel somewhat 

 ashamed of my prejudice against them. Only a 

 morning or two later, however, we went into the 

 enclosure of Saftar Jhang's tomb, near the Kutb. 

 The slanting sunshine was striking in athwart the 

 light foliage of the trees, and gilding the grey 

 walls of the cloisters, whilst clouds of green 

 parrots swept shrieking in and out in endless 

 succession ; and it came upon me quite as a shock 

 to hear her suddenly remark, " How delightful this 

 would be were it not for those abominable birds." 

 They certainly are capable of being quite uniquely 

 abominable in certain circumstances. A vision 

 haunts me of a long forenoon spent in the dak- 



