io 4 A BIRD CALENDAR 



dry half and the wet half. The former is 

 made up of hot days, dull with dust haze, when 

 the shade temperature may reach 118, and of 

 oppressive nights when the air is still and 

 stagnant and the mercury in the thermometer 

 rarely falls below 84. Each succeeding 

 period of four-and-twenty hours seems more 

 disagreeable and unbearable than its predeces- 

 sor, until the climax is reached about the 

 1 5th June, when large black clouds appear 

 on the horizon and roll slowly onwards, 

 accompanied by vivid lightning, loud peals of 

 thunder and torrential rain. In the June of 

 fact practically the whole month is composed 

 of hot, dry, dusty, oppressive days ; for the 

 monsoon rarely reaches Northern India before 

 the last week of the month and often tarries 

 till the middle of July, or even later. 



The first rain causes the temperature to fall 

 immediately. It is no uncommon thing for 

 the mercury in the thermometer to sink 20 

 degrees in a few minutes. While the rain is 

 actually descending the weather feels re- 

 freshingly cool in contrast to the previous 

 furnace-like heat. Small wonder then that 

 the advent of the creative monsoon is more 

 heartily welcomed in India than is spring in 



