92 A BIRD CALENDAR 



cry of alarm at the first sound of a human 

 footfall. 



May and June are the months in which to 

 look for the nests of that superb bird the 

 paradise flycatcher (Terpsipbont piradisf). This 

 is known as the rocket-bird or ribbon-bird 

 because of the two long fluttering tail feathers 

 possessed by the cock. The hen has the appear- 

 ance of a kind of bulbul, being chestnut-hued 

 with a white breast and a metallic blue-black 

 crest. For the first year of their existence the 

 young cocks resemble the hens in appearance. 

 Then the long tail feathers appear. In his 

 third year the cock turns white save for the 

 black-crested head. This species spends the 

 winter in South India. In April it migrates 

 northwards to summer in the shady parts of the 

 plains of Bengal, the United Provinces and the 

 Punjab, and on the lower slopes of the Hima- 

 layas. The nest is a deep, untidy-looking cup, 

 having the shape of an inverted cone. It is 

 always completely covered with cocoons and 

 cobweb. It is usually attached to one or more 

 of the lower branches of a tree. Both sexes 

 work at the nest and take part in incubation. 

 The long tail feathers of the sitting cock hang 

 down from the nest like red or white satin 



