A NATURALISTS NOCTUARY. 67 



in their claim is their lack of staying power. They are 

 magnificent while they last. Has not the poet Horace 

 immortalised their vocal efforts? But they are of short 

 duration. Their inspiration ceases with the rain. Scarce 

 has the last monsoon cloud passed away, when they betake 

 themselves to their underground quarters, there to sleep 

 until once again Jupiter Plumus reigns supreme. (N.B. 

 This is not a pun.) 



The same weakness is apparent in the claims of the 

 owls. These creatures take up a strategical position in a 

 hole in the tree nearest to the bungalow, and from this 

 point of vantage give vent to sounds compared to which 

 the voice of the jackal is " grateful and comforting." Owls, 

 however, do not care to make themselves too cheap, lest 

 their talents, becoming common-place, should not receive 

 the amount of appreciation they deserve. Hence by the 

 time the first froggie to emerge is beginning to croak, most 

 of them are far away to the north, giving the inhabitants of 

 a serener clime the benefit of their voices. 



The mosquito is a most dangerous competitor for the 

 prize. He disdains the vulgar yell of the jackal, the coarse 

 croak of the frog, and the weird screech of the owl. He 

 emits a gentle note in a high key which sets one's teeth on 

 edge. This he does unceasingly throughout the night. 

 He never tires. At 4 a.m. he is as fresh as he was at 6 p.m. 

 the night before. Although he prefers a damp heat, he is 

 apparently able to knock along very comfortably in a dry or 

 cold climate. I have seen mosquitos in January in the 

 hills when the temperature at night is many degrees below 

 freezing point. 



The cricket makes a bold bid for the championship, but 

 I fear that the competition is too hot for him. In a country 

 such as England, crickets are well in the running, provided 

 they do not go to London, where the cats on the roof are 

 generally held to be invincible. In India, however, the 

 feeble voice of the cricket is drowned by those of the other 

 competitors. 



