FOR NORTHERN INDIA 180 



in circles almost without interruption through- 

 out the short hours of daylight. 



The custard-apples are ripening ; the cork 

 trees are white with pendent jasmine-like 

 flowers, and the loquat trees the happy hunt- 

 ing ground of flocks of blithe little white-eyes 

 put forth their inconspicuous but strongly 

 scented blossoms. Gay chrysanthemums are 

 the most conspicuous feature of the garden. 

 The shesham and the silk-cotton trees are fast 

 losing their leaves, but all the other trees are 

 covered with foliage. 



The birds revel, like man, in the perfect 

 conditions afforded by the Indian winter ; 

 indeed, the fowls of the air are affected by 

 climate to a greater extent than man is. 



Those that winter in England suffer con- 

 siderable hardship and privation, while those 

 that spend the cold weather in India enjoy 

 life to the uttermost. 



Consider the birds, how they fare on a 

 winter's day in England when there is a foot 

 of snow lying on the ground and the keen 

 east wind whistles through the branches of the 

 trees. In the lee of brick walls, hayricks 

 and thick hedges groups of disconsolate birds 

 stand, seeking some shelter from the piercing 



