FOR NORTHERN INDIA 83 



uk of the hoopoe, the cheerful music of the 

 fantail flycatcher, the three sweet syllables of 

 the iora so be ye, the tee, tee, tee, tee of the 

 nuthatch, the liquid whistle of the oriole and, 

 last but not least, the melody of the magpie- 

 robin. The calls of the hoopoe and nuthatch 

 become less 'frequent as the month draws to 

 a close ; on the other hand, the melody of the 

 oriole gains in strength. 



As likely as not a pair of blue jays has 

 elected to rear a brood of young hopefuls in 

 the chimney or in a hole in the roof. When 

 this happens the human occupant of the 

 bungalow is apt to be driven nearly to distrac- 

 tion by the cries of the young birds, which 

 resemble those of some creature in distress, and 

 are uttered with " damnable reiteration." 



All these sounds, however, reach in muffled 

 form the ear of a human being shut up in a 

 bungalow ; hence it is the voices of the night 

 rather than those of the day with which May 

 in India is associated. Most people sleep out 

 of doors at this season, and, as the excessive 

 heat makes them restless, they have ample 

 opportunity of listening to the nightly concert 

 of the feathered folk. The most notable 

 performers are the cuckoos. These birds are 



