THE PARADISE FLYCATCHER 157 



it looks at first sight, is, when one gets to know it, a 

 veritable gold mine for the ornithologist. 



Paradise flycatchers migrate there in great numbers 

 in order to breed. They arrive at the end of April and 

 at once commence nesting operations. Before de- 

 scribing these, let me, in order to enable non-ornith- 

 ological readers to appreciate what follows, say a few 

 words regarding the plumage of the bird. The young 

 of both sexes are chestnut in colour, with the exception 

 of a black head and crest and whitish under parts. 

 This plumage is retained by the hen throughout life. 

 After the autumn moult of the second year the two 

 median tail feathers of the cock grow to a length of six- 

 teen inches, that is to say, four times the length of the 

 other tail feathers, and are retained till the following May 

 or June, when they are cast. After the third autumn 

 moult they again grow, and the plumage now begins to 

 become gradually white, the wings and tail being the 

 first portions to be affected by the change ; thus the cock 

 is for a time partly chestnut and partly white, and it is 

 not until he emerges from the moult of his fourth 

 autumn that all his feathers are white, with, of course, 

 the exception of those of his head and crest. The bird 

 retains this plumage until death. Cock birds breed in 

 either chestnut or white plumage ; this proves that the 

 metamorphosis from chestnut to white takes place after 

 the bird has attained maturity. 



In Lahore this species nests in considerable numbers 

 along the well-wooded banks of the Ravi. Since the 

 birds keep to forest country it is not easy to follow their 

 courting operations for any length of time ; the birds 



