Indian birds in winter.



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INDIAN BIRDS IN WINTER.*


By Althea R. Sherman.


The Black Drongo, nicknamed the King Crow, has black

plumage and a long forked tail. Binoculars reveal to us that the

iris of its eye is red, giving it a rather wicked appearance. After the

manner of many other Flycatchers it perches conspicuously on tele¬

graph-wires and fence-posts. In temper it resembles our Kingbird,

which accounts for the “ King ” part of its sobriquet, and the books

tell us that it is a valiant tighter of the Crows ; also that its methods

of catching insects and building its nest are such as we observe in

our Kingbird. Of the several cousins of this bird only the White-

bellied Drongo (Dicrurus ccerulescens) was seen. He is a striking

fellow in appearance with the keen contrasts of his colours.


Another bird frequently seen along this first route was the

Indian Roller (Goracias indica). This species, partial to both fence-

posts and telegraph-wires, seems to favour the former. When

perched it is a beautiful sight, but on the wing it is a dream of love¬

liness as its greenish-blue colours, mingled with various other shades

of blue, gleam in the sunlight. Its brilliant colouring, together with

its large size, a trifle more than 12 in. in length, makes it a con¬

spicuous sight, which is noted by all travellers, no matter how

blind they are to other birds. Since it hunts for its insect food very

much as do our Shrikes there is frequent display of its enchanting

colours. Although sacred to the god Siva, this distinction has not

saved it from the toils of the plumage-hunters, and it is far less

numerous than so useful and beautiful a creature ought to be. It

was my experience to note the species quite often in some portions of

the southern journey, and in diminishing numbers as far as Delhi,

after which none was seen. It is interesting to recall that Mr. Finn

has written that he thinks this species can be acclimatised in

America. It certainly is a pity that the experiment was not tried

upon some such bird instead of the hateful English Sparrow.


The Indian Roller is frequently called a Blue Jay; anent this

slip Mr. Douglas Dewar has this to say : “ He is not a Jay at all, but



* Reprinted from the ‘ Wilson Bulletin,’ No. 90.



