FOR NORTHERN INDIA 167 



but, for an hour or two after dawn, especially 

 in the latter half of the month, the climate 

 leaves little to be desired. An outing in the 

 early morning is a thing of joy, if it be taken 

 while yet the air retains the freshness imparted 

 to it by the night, and before the grass has 

 yielded up the sparkling jewels acquired 

 during the hours of darkness. It is good to 

 ride forth on an October morn with the 

 object of renewing acquaintance with nimble 

 wagtails, sprightly redstarts, stately demoiselle 

 cranes and other newly-returned migrants. In 

 addition to meeting many winter visitors, the 

 rider may, if he be fortunate, come upon a 

 colony of sand-martins that has begun nesting 

 operations. 



The husbandman enjoys very little leisure at 

 this season of the year. From dawn till sunset 

 he ploughs, or sows, or reaps, or threshes, or 

 winnows. 



The early- sown rice yields the first-fruits 

 of the kharif harvest. By the end of the 

 month it has disappeared before the sickle 

 and many of the fields occupied by it have 

 been sown with gram. The hemp (san) is the 

 next crop to mature. In some parts of 

 Northern India its vivid yellow flowers are 



