2IO THE FORESTS OF UPPER INDIA 



two long white feathers of the tail, 12 inches long, flutter- 

 ing in the breeze. The bird without the tail measures 

 about 4 inches. The black-and-white body and crested 

 head of the mature male are contrasted with the bright- 

 red colour of the younger birds. The deep-blue-coloured 

 rock thrush* with yellow legs, which inhabits the thickets, 

 reminds one of the familiar blackbird. The golden 

 oriole'sf soft, sweet whistle sounds aU day among the 

 tree-tops, a single mellow note. The red-billed blue 

 magpiesj flutter among the bush thickets, screeching as 

 they follow one another in a string. The Himalayan 

 jay§ is a lively, gay-plumaged bird. Then there is a 

 very remarkable black bird seen mostly in pairs, with two 

 long tail-feathers, all bare shank with two round plumes 

 at the ends about the size of a shilling. This is the lesser 

 racket -tailed drongo,|| a very beautiful bird. BriUiant 

 in scarlet plumage is the Indian minivet,^ with its bright 

 orange mate. Then, on the flats below the hills, there are 

 swarms of noisy, chattering mynahs** picking in great 

 flocks busily all day, like starhngs, a bird so tame that 

 he scarcely moves out of one's way, getting a good look 

 at the intruder, with his quaint head, which has a bald 

 patch on it, turned to one side. There are twenty-five 

 different species of mynahs described by Blanford, so 

 there are plenty to keep the insects picked off the fields. 

 The bulbul,tt of classical reputation as the sweetest 

 songster in India, the nightingale of Lalla Rookh, is a 

 disappointing bird, singing but a very common twitter. 

 He is a dark, dull bird, observable only from the crimson 

 patch under his tail ; but there are about thirty species 



* Petrophila solitaria. f Oriolus kundoo. 



\ Cissa Chinensis. § Garrulus bispecularis. 



II Bhringa reviifer. T Pericrocotus speciosus. 



** Acridotheres tristis. f f Malpastes iiitertnedius. 



