42 THE BIRDS OP CALCUTTA. 



what intermediate between a starling and a weaver-bird, 

 while the real Orioles have a form and style peculiarly 

 their own. It must be confessed that the American birds 

 are much more interesting ; they also tend to range north- 

 wards more than do the Old World Orioles, and hence help 

 to enliven the United States to a very great extent, some of 

 most brilliant and common birds there belonging to this 

 troupial family. We might have more brilliant birds in 

 England if we could only let them alone ; I have already 

 alluded to the persecution of our one Oriole, and even the 

 green woodpecker is oftener seen in a bird stuffer's shop 

 window than on a tree in the open ! As the Oriole is one 

 of the brightest birds I am dealing with, I may perhaps be 

 allowed to conclude with an earnest appeal to all Anglo- 

 Indians to help in the preseivation of beautiful birds, 

 which exist in every country under difficulties, both from 

 natural enemies and from man. The plain-coloured spe- 

 cies can take care of themselves out here at any rate ; but 

 beauty is everywhere a fatal gift to the lower animals, and 

 it is very much to be hoped that the recent enactment 

 will preserve against the export of skins the more brilliant 

 kinds whose danger is the greatest. Even about Calcutta 

 we have in the larger kingfisher, the blue- jay, the golden- 

 backed woodpecker, and the subject of the present chapter,. 

 a quartette of birds which would attract attention any- 

 where, and going further afield fresh showy species present 

 themselves, too numerous to mention in few words. Pos- 

 terity would not have thought much of us as a cultured 

 nation if we had allowed such creatures to be hunted to 

 extermination in countries under our rule, when so manv 



