ch. vi.] Fruit Culture. 121 



Mangoes, especially the fine Manilla varieties, and 

 pomoloes, grow well in the gardens and orchards, as also 

 do oranges of various kinds. The soil is so poor, how- 

 ever, that in order to obtain fine fruit, it is necessary to 

 keep a herd of cattle, and to fold them at night, for the 

 sake of a good supply of manure. Where the trees are 

 planted on the grass, a circle beneath each is cultivated 

 with the " chunkal," or heavy iron hoe ; and this is 

 regularly manured and watered. It is quite usual to see 

 the boles of mango and some other fruit trees gashed 

 with blows from a chopper at intervals, an operation 

 analagous to the ringing or strangulation formerly prac- 

 tised in English gardens before root-pruning came into 

 fashion. This is done to induce t the trees to bear fruit 

 earlier, and more abundantly. 



There is only one species of bird endemic, a lively 

 black and white one (Copsychus aviamus), which frequents 

 gardens near the bungalows, and sings very sweetly 

 during wet weather ; indeed, it was the only Eastern 

 song bird which reminded me of our dappled thrush at 

 home. Of eagles and fish hawks there are several species. 

 Tern are seen in flocks on neighbouring sand-banks. 

 Golden plover and snipe abound on the plain near the 

 shore, and there two or three sand pipers and rails. The 

 white crane, or " padi bird," is common; and the long- 

 pinioned frigate bird wheels overhead, far out of gun- 

 shot, diving now and then into the sea after food with 

 wonderful velocity. The mellow whistle of the mino bird 

 is one of the most familiar sounds of the forest, especially 

 when the fruit of the wild figs ripen, and then white, 

 large blue, ajid pretty little green tree pigeons of many 

 kinds appear, attended by flocks of glossy, red-eyed 

 starlings. 



The "chuck, chuck" of the gout-sucker (Caprimulgu* 



