4 BIRDS OF THE PLAINS 



that province, but not abundantly. The commonest 

 kingfisher in the Land of the Five Rivers is the much 

 more splendid white-breasted species (Halcyon smyr- 

 nensis), which may be recognised by its beautiful blue 

 wings with a white bar, and by its anything but 

 melodious " rattling scream." 



This winter the ravens are invading Lahore in very 

 large numbers. It is impossible not to notice the great 

 black creatures as they fly overhead in couples or in 

 companies of six or eight, uttering solemn croaks. 



But the Indian raven, large as it is, is a diminutive 

 form ; its length is but twenty-four inches as compared 

 with the twenty-eight of its English cousin. Moreover, 

 there are slight anatomical differences between the two 

 races; hence the Indian bird was at one time considered 

 to be a separate species and was called Corvus law- 

 rencii. There certainly does seem to be some justi- 

 fication for this procedure, since the Indian raven has 

 not the solitary, shy, and retiring disposition of the bird 

 at Home. It consorts with those feathered villains the 

 Indian crows, and, like them, thieves from man and 

 delights to tease and annoy birds bigger than itself by 

 pulling their tail ! But there exist ravens of all sizes 

 intermediate between the large European form and the 

 small Indian one, so that it is not possible to find a 

 point at which a line may be drawn between them. 

 For this reason the Indian raven is now held to be one 

 and the same species as the English bird Corvus corax. 



Two cousins of the raven, namely, the rook and the 

 jackdaw, also occur in the Punjab. They both visit us 

 in the cold weather and fraternise with the common 



