FOR NORTHERN INDIA 59 



will find much to interest him there. In April 

 many of the young birds will be hatched out. 

 A baby tern is an amusing object. It is 

 covered with soft sand-coloured down. When 

 a human being approaches it crouches on the 

 sand, half burying its head in its shoulders, and 

 remains thus perfectly motionless. If picked 

 up it usually remains limply in the hand, so 

 that, but for its warmth, it might be deemed 

 lifeless. After it has been set down again on 

 the sand, it will remain motionless until the 

 intruder's back is turned, when it will run to 

 the water as fast as its little legs can carry it. 

 It swims as easily as a duck. Needless to state, 

 the parent birds make a great noise while their 

 young are being handled. 



Birds decline to be fettered by the calendar. 

 Many of the species which do not ordinarily 

 nest until April or May occasionally begin 

 operations in March, hence nests of the follow- 

 ing species, which are dealt with next month, 

 may occur in the present one : the tree-pie, 

 tailor-bird, common myna, bank-myna, brown 

 rock-chat, brown-backed robin, pied wagtail, 

 red-winged bush-lark, shikra, red-wattled lap- 

 wing, yellow-throated sparrow, bee-eater, blue 

 rock-pigeon, green pigeon and grey partridge. 



