210



Mr. Aubyn Trevor-Battye,



recognised last winter as I worked my way through the more northerly

part of India to join Mr. Elwes for a trip into Nepal.


Of course the Crow comes first—the Indian House Crow,

Corvus splendens (‘ splendens,’ I take it, because of its audacity—

Splendide audax). This bird is equally at home in the country or

the town, turning up as you eat your sandwich on the edge of the

jungle, or keeping an eye on your toilette as you get ready for dinner.

Should a pin or a stud be missed from your table the crow, more

probably than the sweeper, has carried it off. Like the crows in

Egypt these House Crows persistently worry the kites ; nor are

larger birds of prey secure from their attention. In the hilly suburb

of Colombo, for instance [this was in the year before] many vultures

came every evening to roost in the palms, and their fellow scavengers,

the crows, roosted with them. The Vultures, as long as daylight

lasted, had but little peace, for the Crows were always jumping on

their backs and pecking them hard. A Crow would sidle along the

palm-rib until it was about a foot from the vulture’s tail. The

vulture might look round suspiciously, but the Crow was only sitting

there with an innocent expression, so there was nothing to be said.

But as soon as the Vulture turned its head back again and was off

its guard with one dart the crow was on its back and could just get

in one dagger of a peck before the Vulture understood and jumped.

Probably the crows were pecking at ticks, but it seemed to hurt just

the same. Buffalo and cattle generally are grateful for such attention,

but their skins are thicker.


The Indian Tree-pie (Dendrocitta rufa) w 7 ith its dark and

chestnut plumage is very noticeable. On the outskirts of the jungle

one saw parties of these birds following one another from tree to tree.


One bird in this group, the White-headed Laughing Thrush

(Garrulus leucolophus ), takes us momentarily to Sikhim. As one

rides along the narrow paths in that mountain country, one often

hears coming from the trees or scrub on the mountain side on one

hand a chorus of laughing chatter ; and then a flock of birds with

white heads will cross the path and follow one another down into

the ravine on the other hand. They are very cheery birds and seem

to keep themselves constantly amused. They belong to a very large

natural group, mostly birds of the hills.



