IO2 fHE ROBINS AND CHATS. 



looking bird about which one naturally wants to 

 know. It is in fact a globe-trotter, coming to India 

 for the cold season from its home in Cashmere or 

 Turkestan ; and it has the ague in its tail. By the 

 peculiar shivering of that organ you may recognise 

 it. It is a little larger than an English Robin, and of 

 a dark-brown, or almost black, colour, which passes 

 into a rusty-red on the lower back and the whole 

 hinder part of the body and the tail. 



There is another little fairy creature which few 

 notice, except those who are curious about birds, 

 but I must mention it, because it was in Bombay that 

 I first made its acquaintance. I mean the Blue-throat 

 (Cyanecula suecica). Near the house in which I lived 

 there was a field of Lucerne grass, irrigated from a 

 well with a Persian wheel, and here I used to notice 

 the happy little bird enjoying the pleasures of solitude 

 in the rivulets that ran in the cool shade of soft green 

 leaves. It is quite a Robin in its figure and gait, but 

 quiet and retiring in its disposition, and simple but 

 neat in its suit of olive-brown. But its throat and 

 breast are bright azure blue, and by this you may 

 know it. This is full dress, however. Immature 

 birds and females show scarcely a trace of it and are 

 not so easily recognised. This bird comes to us for 

 the cold season only, and is not uncommon across 

 the harbour wherever there are cool shades and 

 running waters. 



