34 A BIRD CALENDAR 



shade. At night, however, the temperature 

 drops to 65. In the extreme south of the 

 Province the hot weather sets in by the middle 

 of March. The sky assumes a brazen aspect 

 and, at midday, the country is swept by 

 westerly winds which seem to come from a 

 titanic blast furnace. 



The spring crops grow more golden day by 

 day. The mustard' is the first to ripen. The 

 earlier-sown fields are harvested in March in 

 the eastern and southern parts of the country. 

 The spring cereals are cut by hand sickles, the 

 grain is then husked by the tramping of cattle, 

 and, lastly, the chaff is separated from the 

 grain on the threshing floor, the hot burning 

 wind often acting as a natural winnowing 

 fan. 



The air is heavily scented with the incon- 

 spicuous inflorescences of the mangos (Mangi- 

 fera indie a). The pipals (Ficus religiosa) are 

 shedding their leaves ; the sbesbams (Dalbergia 

 sissoo) are assuming their emerald spring 

 foliage. 



The garden, the jungle and the forest are 

 beautified by the gorgeous reds of the flowers 

 of the silk-cotton tree (Bomb ax malabaricd), 

 the Indian coral tree (Erythrina indica) and 



