ORNITHOLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS 2G3 



first flight free from danger. The lesson takes place 

 at the edge of the nest ; here each nestling in suc- 

 cession carefully balances its unstable body and at 

 intervals for about ten minutes stretches out its wings 

 and vigorously beats the air with them before launching 

 out on its first short fligrht. 



The paradise flycatcher of course lives on insects 

 which it captures on the wing. It is not always very 

 dexterous in its efforts, for I once observed the bird 

 make six successive and unsuccessful attacks on a 

 large butterfly and in the end failed in its efforts. A 

 more skilful bird in this respect is the black drongo, 

 Dicrurus atcr. It is a very common visitor to the 

 lower Himalaya. It is in the habit of perching on 

 prominent branches of trees, and feeds on flies and 

 other insects which it captures on the wing. Its 

 power of vision must be extremely acute, for I have 

 seen it on a dull day detect an insect in the air fully 

 a hundred yards distant and fly off from its place of 

 vantage to a successful capture. I could myself have 

 scarcely detected the insect at one-tenth of the distance. 

 Though the drongo usually captures its prey by the 

 rapidity of its flight and its skilful turns in the air, 

 yet I have observed it on windy days adopt a simpler 

 but no less efficacious method, for instead of darting 

 after the insect it merely faced the wind, hovered in 

 the air and allowed the breeze to sweep the insect into 

 its mouth. 



The sharp vision of the drongo calls to mind the 

 same power in other species. The tern, for example, 

 when hovering in the air, detects the smallest fish in 

 the silt-laden river. The vulture, when distant beyond 

 human vision, notes the descent of its fellows on the 



