122 THE BIRDS OF CALCUTTA. 



relatives, came into tlie Bird gallery of the museum, 

 and, as it careered to and fro overhead, it gave me an 

 opportunity of seeing how the feet were placed. 

 Ordinarily they seem to be buried in the under-tail- 

 coverts when the bird is on the wing, but this indivi- 

 dual was too flurried to put this final touch to its 

 flying attitude. As to the reason, I have not found 

 that out yet ; all birds belonging to a given natural 

 family seem to stow their feet in the same way, so 

 that it is probably only a meaningless inherited, 

 habit. 



Parrots are chiefly winter birds with us in Calcutta, 

 but "they must breed not far off, for some of the 

 infants brought into the Provision Bazaar are very 

 young indeed, and hardly fit to stand a long journey. 

 Nasty little things they are, some as naked as the 

 palm of one's hand, and of much the same colour. 



If 



Few, however, are quite nude, for, as a rule, the 

 green feathers are beginning to sprout before they 

 are taken and brought in. The fledged young bird 

 can be always known from the old one by its dark 

 eyes, a point to be borne in mind by those who are 

 buying Parrots as pets ; the old bird's eyes are white — 

 that is to say, their iris is clearly showing off the 

 waxing and waning pupil which gives the bird such 

 a knowing, wicked look. There is probably some 

 meaning in this expression, for light eyes in birds 



