250 BOMBAY DUCKS 
leaves, and the bird took alarm and flew out again 
without having fed her children. She went to the next 
tree and there stood and looked at me with a very large 
berry in her beak; she remained for some time in that 
attitude, and then,-herself, swallowed the fruit. Judging 
from the efforts she made in disposing of it, the berry 
must have been an exceedingly hard one, and I take 
credit to myself for saving a young barbet from a 
violent attack of indigestion ! 
Barbets, like most birds, are very unwilling that any 
animal should approach their nest. One afternoon a 
myna chanced to perch upon the bough in which the 
above-mentioned nest had been excavated. Imme- 
diately afterwards one of the parent barbets happened 
to return. Without a second’s hesitation it flew at the 
astonished myna, who had no idea of the existence of 
the barbet’s nest. The myna hopped with great speed 
on to the next branch, and there stood looking at the 
barbet, and his attitude expressed mingled surprise and 
pain caused by the thought that any bird could behave 
so rudely to him. The barbet again “went for” him, 
and the myna, mystified, but thinking discretion the 
better part of valour, flew away. And he did well, for 
a myna is no match for a barbet. Indeed, if we may 
believe Layard, this latter is an exceptionally fierce bird. 
He states that a barbet kept in captivity used to devour 
its fellow-prisoners, who were inoffensive munias. 
I hoped to witness the first attempt at flight of the 
young barbets, but was doomed to disappointment, for, 
being “by thronging duties press’d,” the time I was able 
to devote to the young barbets was limited. I, however, 
