BRITISH BIRDS IN PLAINS OF INDIA 5 



crows. The rook may be readily distinguished from 

 these by the bare whitish patch of skin in front of its 

 face. Last year hundreds of rooks were to be seen in 

 the fields between the big and the little Ravi. They 

 are not so abundant this winter owing to the compar- 

 ative mildness of the weather. 



The jackdaw is very like Corvus splendens in appear- 

 ance. It may, however, be easily distinguished by its 

 white eye. There is at present a jackdaw in confine- 

 ment in the Lahore " Zoo." 



The coot (Fulica atra) is another bird common at 

 Home which is also abundant in India. He needs 

 no description, being familiar too familiar to every 

 sportsman in India. He is the " black duck " of 

 Thomas Atkins that remains on the jhil after all the 

 duck have disappeared. It is unnecessary to say that 

 the bird is not a duck, but a water-hen that apes the 

 manners of one. His black plumage, white face, and 

 the difficulty he experiences in rising from the water 

 prevent him being confounded with a duck. 



Ornithological text-books tell us that the skylark 

 (Alauda arvensis) visits India during the winter. This 

 may be so, but I do not think I have ever seen one in 

 the Punjab. I have seen thousands of the Indian 

 skylark (Alauda gulgula) a very similar bird, which is 

 said to soar and sing "just as the lark in England does." 



As a rule it soars only at daybreak. There are in 

 India so many birds of prey, ever on the look out for 

 quarry, that our larks are not able to sing with im- 

 punity at heaven's gate. They usually put forth their 

 vocal efforts from a less exalted platform. 



