io8 GLIMPSES OF INDIAN BIRDS 



he stands in shallow water as motionless as a stuffed 

 bird, with his head almost buried in his shoulders, 

 looking as though he were highly disgusted with things 

 in general. As a matter of fact he is thoroughly en- 

 joying himself. His ugly eye is fixed upon some luck- 

 less frog in the water. The moment this comes within 

 striking distance the pond heron wiU shoot out his 

 long neck, seize the frog and swallow it whole. One 

 cannot but feel sorry for the frog as it finds itself 

 being hustled down the heron's throat. It probably 

 mistook the motionless creature for a rock and, even 

 had it not made this mistake, it could not be expected 

 to know that the bird had buried in its shoulders a 

 patent telescopic neck. After the amphibian is safely 

 lodged in ventre, the paddy bird resumes his strategic 

 position at the water's edge and maintains it for hours. 



One day when I have nothing else to do I mean to 

 mark down a paddy bird in its roosting tree, follow 

 it to its fishing ground and picnic there all day and 

 watch its behaviour. I shall then write an essay 

 entitled A Leaf from the Diary of a Lazy Bird. 



I imagine. that the daily entry will read somewhat 

 as follows ; — 



8 a.m. — (One hour after sunrise) woke up. 

 8 — 8.30 — Pruned my feathers. 

 8.30 — Flew to my fishing ground. 

 8.32— Settled there for the day. 

 8.40 — 9 — Caught a few water insects for break- 

 fast. 

 9 — 10 — Had a nap. 



