4 A BIRD CALENDAR 



Birds have more vitality, more life in them 

 than has any other class of organism. They 

 are, therefore, the most noisy of beings. 



Many of the calls of birds are purposeful, 

 being used to express pleasure or anger, or to 

 apprise members of a flock of one another's 

 presence. Others appear to serve no useful 

 end. These are simply the outpourings of 

 superfluous energy, the expressions of the 

 supreme happiness that perfect health en- 

 genders. Since the vigour of birds is greatest 

 at the nesting season, it follows that that is the 

 time when they are most vociferous. Some 

 birds sing only at the breeding season, while 

 others emit their cries at all times. Hence the 

 avian choir in India, as in all other countries, 

 is composed of two sets of vocalists those who 

 perform throughout the year, " the musicians 

 of all times and places," and those who join the 

 chorus only for a few weeks or months. The 

 calls of the former class go far to create for 

 India its characteristic atmosphere. To 

 enumerate all such bird calls would be weari- 

 some. For the purposes of this calendar it is 

 necessary to describe only the common daily 

 cries the sounds that at all times and all 

 seasons form the basis of the avian chorus. 



