248 BOMBAY DUCKS 
The birds, both male and female, work like Trojans, 
and in this respect set a good example to human work- 
men. The husband and wife labour at the nest in 
turn. Each relief lasts about a quarter of an hour. 
The nest has no lining of any kind ; the eggs are laid 
on the bare wood, and the young, when hatched, have 
to lie on this hard couch. It has never been my good 
fortune to follow closely the nesting operations of 
the coppersmith. However, a pair of green barbets 
(Thereiceryx zeylonicus) once nested in an old pzpal 
tree in my garden compound at Fyzabad, and so 
afforded me an opportunity of noting some of their 
habits. ; 
Although the green barbet is found in most parts of 
India, he is not so well known as his cousin, the copper- 
smith. His cry is a loud Kurtur, kurtur, kurturuk, 
He would be a handsome bird but for his face. This is 
not sarcasm. Among birds the face is not so vital a 
feature as with human beings. A fine figure and 
beautiful feathers, rather than good features, determine 
whether a bird is handsome or otherwise. The plumage 
of the green barbet leaves little to be desired. Essen- 
tially a bird of the greenwood tree, it partakes of the 
hue of its surroundings. As it flies among the branches 
its plumage appears to be of a uniform rich leafy green— 
the colour of the foliage in England after a rainy July 
day. Some brown feathers are visible in the head and 
neck, giving them a golden sheen under the influence of 
the sun’s rays. 
The bird has, however, a bare patch of yellow skin 
round each eye, which gives it a worn, haggard appear- 
