NOISY BIRDS 287 
The peacock is another Indian bird whose histrionic 
efforts “take a lot of beating.” Like so many noisy 
birds, he prefers to raise his voice in the night time. 
His note resembles a loud, plaintive, very much 
drawn-out “ miau,” such as a lusty cat might emit. In 
some parts of India pea-fowl are accounted sacred 
birds and are often semi-domesticated, roosting in the 
trees near a village and feeding on the crops. When 
camping near such a village, for the first time, one is 
apt to pass a sleepless night, thanks to the pea-fowl, the 
jackals, and the village dogs. 
The boisterous screams of those ruffians the “green 
parrots” are not often heard in Madras ; nevertheless, 
these birds must be numbered among the noisy members 
of society. They are very numerous in many mofussil 
stations, while in the city of Bombay they are as 
abundant as mynas. The voice of the green parrot 
does not get on the nerves; it is, on the contrary, 
pleasant to the ear, being heard only for an instant as 
a flight of the birds dashes overhead upon felony intent. 
Of all the cultivator’s enemies, the green parrot is the 
chief. 
Another noisy bird, which is very common in most 
parts of India, but which, for some reason or other, 
avoids Madras, is the Indian magpie (Dendrocttta rufa). 
Although nearly related to the English magpie, this 
bird is of very different appearance, being dark brown 
with greyish wings and tail. This latter is over a foot 
in length. The Indian pie lives chiefly in trees. It 
goes about in small companies, which spend half the 
day in loudly squabbling among themselves and the 
