WINTER VISITORS 163 



out the winter dozens of them are to be seen on the 

 gymkhana cricket ground, sprinting after tiny insects, 

 and stopping after each capture to indulge in a 

 httle tail wagging. All three species of wagtail feed 

 exclusively on insects, so that the migration in this 

 case, as in that of the quail and of many other birds, 

 is obviously due to the force of habit. 



Another winter visitor that cannot fail to attract 

 attention is the white-eared bulbul {Molpastes leucotis), 

 a bird loathed by the gardener on account of the 

 damage it does to buds. 



Two species of bulbiil are abundant in Lahore : 

 this one and the Punjab red- vented bulbul {Mol- 

 pastes intermedius). The latter, like the poor, is always 

 with us, while the former shakes the dust of Lahore 

 off its feet and departs when the weather becomes hot. 

 The permanent resident has a red patch under its tail 

 and a black head and crest, while the migrant wears 

 yellow under the tail and has white cheeks. 



The family of birds of prey furnishes us with a 

 large number of winter visitors. Those most likely to 

 be seen in the neighbourhood of Lahore are the steppe 

 eagle, the long-legged buzzard, the sparrow hawk, 

 the peregrine falcon, the kestrel, and the merlin. It 

 must not be thought that all our Indian birds of prey 

 are migrants. A number of species remain in the plains 

 throughout the hot weather to vex the souls of their 

 weaker brethren. Curiously enough, there is among 

 the permanently resident raptores a coimterpart, a 

 nearly allied species — I might almost say a " double " 

 — of nearly every migrant. The tawny eagle {Aquila 



