THE NATURALIST IN A RAILWAY 

 TRAIN 



IN most parts of India a kind of " general post " of 

 officials takes place at the commencement of 

 every cold weather. The authorities seem sud- 

 denly to discover that the majority of public 

 servants are stationed at unsuitable places, and there- 

 upon seek to remedy this state of affairs, to the great 

 profit of the railway companies. Having been an active 

 participator in the latest "general post," I have been 

 afforded an excellent opportunity of studying nature 

 from the interior of a railway carriage. It must, in 

 truth, be admitted that there are many worse points of 

 view, for one sees an astonishing amount of animal life 

 from a moving train. 



The railway has now become quite an important 

 factor in the life of many birds, chiefly owing to the 

 fact that the iron road is accompanied by telegraph 

 wires. When first erected, these caused the death of 

 many an unsuspecting bird. The fowls of the air 

 enjoy so vast a space, free from obstacles, in which to 

 move about, that when flying they are not obliged to 

 look very carefully where they are going. If a bird 

 wishes to reach a certain place, it forthwith takes to its 

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