348 



INDIAN BIRD SCAVENGERS. 



instant every bit of offal, or fallen morsel, that the 

 merchant has left behind, even though a crowd of 

 natives may be arguing and gossiping within a few 

 feet of the spot. Indeed while the concourse of people 

 in the market is at its greatest, it is common to see 

 a number of keen-eyed crows perched on the cross 

 beams of the roof, but a few feet above the heads of 

 the crowd, knowingly twisting their heads from side 

 to side, as if to hear the news of the day, while 

 intently watching for the chance of making off with 

 some tit-bit. 



There 'can be do doubt that the numerous hosts of 

 these birds, wherever human beings are collected to- 

 gether in considerable numbers, throughout Hindustan ; 

 act as a powerful sanitary agency in the preservation 

 of public health and cleanliness in the native quarters 

 of towns, and indeed in the European cantonments also ; 

 this will be obvious, when we remind our readers that 

 practically no drainage whatever exists. The exceed- 

 ingly flat nature of the country generally, and the 

 low-lying character of the coast line, to a great extent 

 renders any system of drainage on the European plan 

 impossible moreover, it is very questionable, for various 

 reasons of a technical nature, whether, if there was fall 

 enough, any at present known sewerage system would 

 be desirable. This however opens up a vast number 

 of debatable questions irrelevant to our present sub- 

 ject. Consequently, the role which these useful birds 

 play in the economy of Nature is one of extreme im- 

 portance. In Egypt the kite (Milvus ^Egyptius] is 

 extremely numerous, and in Cairo and other Egyptian 

 towns they may be seen continually hovering over the 

 city on the look-out for food. 



