6 BEEEDING SEASONS. 



country is the absence of any information on this point. At first, search 

 for nests is only made in the spring' and summer months, but in the 

 course of time eggs are found incidentally in other months, both 

 earlier and later, and it gradually becomes evident that hours of fruitless 

 search and watching of birds, to trace from their movements where their 

 nests are concealed have been thrown away, which a little experience 

 would have saved by teaching that the breeding season were either 

 already over or had not yet begun, or in some instances even never 

 would begin iu that part of the country. It is to answer at all events 

 partially this question, when do the birds breed ? that these notes 

 are published. The question is now being answered in full detail for 

 each bird by Mr. Hume's book already referred to in the preface, and 

 this little book will give a review of the year month by month, indicating 

 the direction in which search can at any given time be profitably 

 carried on. 



In dealing with a limited area, either tropical or temperate, it would 

 be comparatively easy to furnish a complete guide ou this point in 

 a small compass ; but with a large country like India, including every 

 variety of climate from the eternal snows of the alpine Himalayas 

 to the unvarying round of heat in the southern peninsular on the 

 one hand, and from the arid deserts of Sind to the humid forests of 

 Assam on the other hand. It is a task of much difficulty to afibrd 

 full details in a single book. The area dealt with is bounded by the 

 main ridge of the Himalayas on the north ; the Suliman range and 

 the Arabian sea on the west ; by the Indian ocean on the south ; 

 and by the bay of Bengal and Assam on the east. Climate has by 

 far the largest influence in determining the breeding period with birds, and 

 thus over so large an area it is clear that great variations must occur 

 at difierent points. Speaking generally, it may be assumed that the 

 colder the climate, the more uniformly will the breeding season be 

 confined to the warmer months ; and the hotter and less variable the 

 climate, the more irregularly will the breeding season be spread 

 throughout the year. Among hot climates the drier the climate, the 

 more the breeding season inclines to the summer and monsoon months • 

 while iu damp tropical climates the winter months are more prolific 

 in proportion ; but in India, excluding the Himalayas, there is no place 

 where eggs of some species may not be obtained in every mouth of 

 the year. 



The fewest number of kinds of birds known to breed in this country 



