68 A BIRD CALENDAR 



dimensions, must be a mere catalogue of nesting 

 species. The compiler of the calendar has to 

 face an embarrass de richesses. 



Of the common species that build in March 

 and the previous months the following are 

 likely to be found with eggs or young the 

 jungle crows, sunbirds, doves, pied and golden- 

 backed woodpeckers, coppersmiths, hoopoes, 

 common and brahminy kites, bulbuls, shrikes, 

 little minivets, fantail flycatchers, wire-tailed 

 swallows, paroquets, spotted owlets, swifts, 

 scavenger vultures, red-headed merlins, sky- 

 larks, crested larks, pipits, babblers, sand- 

 martins, cliff-swallows, nuthatches, white-eyed 

 buzzards, kites, black vultures, pied and white- 

 breasted kingfishers, finch-larks, Indian wren- 

 warblers, wood-shrikes, cuckoo-shrikes, green 

 barbets, tawny eagles, and the terns and the 

 other birds that nest on islets in rivers. Here 

 and there may be seen a white-backed vulture's 

 nest containing a young bird nearly ready to 

 fly. 



Towards the middle of the month the long- 

 tailed tree-pies (Dendrocitta rufa), which are 

 nothing else than coloured crows, begin nest- 

 building. They are to be numbered among the 

 commonest birds in India, nevertheless their 



