Birds. 5797 



firmly woven together that it would require some force to break 

 through this grassy and fibrous matting. 



Mango, — Humming Bird (Trochilus Mango). Although the hum- 

 ming bird is not common in the South of India, I have occasionally 

 seen what I believe to have been the above-mentioned species, in my 

 garden at Trichinopoly, its favorite place of resort being a round plot 

 or border in front of the door, filled with a great variety of flowering 

 shrubs; and many a time have I gazed with delight at this winged 

 gem, with its bright and glossy emerald plumage, but rendered 

 tenfold more brilliant by the rays of a noontide tropical sun, which, 

 falling on the out-spread quivering wings, thereby not only en- 

 hance the splendour of the original tints, but call new shades into 

 existence. [I thought the genus Trochilus, or true humming bird, was 

 exclusively American. — E. N.~\ 



Green Paroquet. There is in the South of India a diminutive 

 paroquet, about the size of the common bunting, its plumage being 

 of a beautiful green colour, without a spot of red on it ; it is by no 

 means common or even generally known : I met with it quite by 

 chance at Courtallum, at the foot of the Ghauts, in the range of 

 mountains which separate the Coromandel plains from those of 

 Malabar, and succeeded in capturing a dozen or more, which soon 

 became tame and were much and generally admired. Their manner 

 of roosting is very peculiar, suspending themselves, bat-like, by the 

 claws, from the top bars of the cage, with their heads hanging 

 down. 



Green Indian Pigeon. This bird is not easily descried among the 

 branches or foliage of the lofty trees which it frequents, and it would 

 frequently be passed unnoticed by sportsman or ornithologist, if not 

 detected and pointed out by their lynx-eyed native followers. This 

 is a large and exceedingly beautiful pigeon, and inferior to none in 

 the delicacy of its flesh. 



Malabar Turtle Dove (Columba lurtur, Linn.). These doves are 

 so numerous in India that the jungle at times seems almost alive with 

 them, so much so that their almost incessant cooing becomes tiresome, 

 if not fatiguing, and their tameness is so great that they might be shot 

 by hundreds, but they are not much molested, in consequence of their 

 not being held in much esteem as an article of food. 



Henry W. Hadfield. 



Tunbridge, August, 1857. 



