20 RIFLE AND ROMANCE 



of these forests, has for some time past been shedding its 

 sickly, fleshy edible flowers in a prodigal profusion, irre- 

 sistibly attracting all herbivorous animals for leagues 

 around. Here and there a few gorgeous, flaunting, flowered 

 trees dash the monotone of grey-brown jungle with vivid 

 splashes of strong colour ; and the hot air is heavy with 

 bold, sweet scents. 



All Nature strange to say in such a terrible and in- 

 creasing heat is rising to a renewed and vigorous access 

 of strength, the fierce sun seeming to drag forth the very 

 germs of life and bid them expand and swell and burst ! 

 The birds are one and all in wedding dress. Morn and 

 eve, and again at still midday, the alert grey jungle-cocks, 

 debonair roosters of these forest depths, now full plumaged 

 after the first of the biennial moults, scratch and crow 

 blatantly in the copses ; while the peacock, spreading out 

 his arrogantly magnificent train in a thousand quivering 

 scintillations of arched green and gold, dances slowly in 

 the open glades, crying plaintively, petulantly, before his 

 admiring hens. Even the insect world obeys the impetus 

 of the season, filling the jungle with an all-pervading 

 song. Big swarms of the dreaded Bonhra bees hang like 

 great brown velvet bags from rock and bough, the slightest 

 disturbance such as sudden movement, noise, or smell 

 now causing them to take deadly umbrage and descend 

 in their myriads to punish the miserable object of their 

 wrath. 



As the piercing rays of the blistering hot-weather sun 

 decline towards late afternoon, and are intercepted by 

 the taller trees, the jungle begins to awake from the 

 diurnal siesta to the anticipated delight of another tropi- 

 cal night. Cooler airs begin to move with light stirrings 

 to and fro. The brief respite 'twixt the cruel blazing 

 day and soft, dangerous night is now taken advantage of 

 by those creatures that have reason to avoid both. The 

 painted sandgrouse come chuckling and whirling in twos 



