Birds of the Indian Hills 



the acquaintance of the bird must either resort 

 to some fancier's shop, or hie themselves to the 

 coo] heights of Mussoorie, or, better still, of 

 Darjeeling, where the liothrix is exceptionally 

 abundant. But even at Darjeeling the Pekin- 

 robin will have to be looked for carefully, for 

 it is of shy and retiring habits, and a small bird 

 of such a disposition is apt to elude observation. 

 In one respect the plains (let us give even the 

 devil his due) are superior to the hills. The 

 naturalist usually experiences little difficulty in 

 observing birds in the sparsely-wooded flat 

 country, but in the tree-covered mountains the 

 feathered folk often require to be stalked. 

 If you would see the Pekin-robin in a state of 

 nature, go to some clearing in the Himalayan 

 forest, where the cool breezes blow upon you 

 direct from the snows, whence you can see the 

 most beautiful sight in the world, that of snow- 

 capped mountains standing forth against an 

 azure sky. Tear your eyes away from the 

 white peaks and direct them to the low bushes 

 and trees which are springing up in the clearing, 

 for in this you are likely to meet with a small 

 flock of Pekin-robins. You will probably hear 

 them before you see them. The sound to 



listen for is well described by Finn as " a peculiar 

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