48 
The Birds of India. 
sharply with his snowy phuiiaj^e. Two of his tail feathers, 12 inches 
longer than the others, hang down like satin streamers. The hen lacks 
this ornament, and is deep chestnut where her lord and master is white. 
While we are contemplating him another cock appears on the scene, but 
he, although possessing the two long tail feathers, is rich chestnut in 
colour, as is the hen. He is in the second year of his existence, but, like 
his white neighbour, has a wife and a nest, on which he spends much of the 
day. Paradise Fycatchers are restless creatures, constiintl^' on the move. 
These two are soon lost to view amid tlie green foliage. 
But another bird, in its way equally beautiful, has appeared on the 
scene. Having taken some tiny insect upon the wing, it has alighted on a 
horizontal branch, and is now bowing gracefully to right and to left, the 
■while spreading out its tail into a fan and singing its lay, which has been 
likened to the opening bars of the "Guards' Valse." This is the White- 
browed Fantailed Flycatcher. We cannot say whether it is a cock or hen, 
for in this species there is no external difference between the sexes. But 
its habits are very similar to those of the Paradise Flycatcher, and, like 
that form, it builds an open cup-shaped nest. From the same tree a Grey- 
headed Flycatcher makes a sally into the air after the " circling gnat." He 
must have been sitting there some time; but, being inconspicuous, he 
escaped our notice until he moved. 
I<et us now saunter on a little, keeping our eyes open for other species 
of p-lycatcher, because it is these we particularly wish to see. In one tree 
■we notice, picking insects off the leaves, a flock of Minnivets (Pericrocoius 
flammeiis), the cocks arrayed in black and flaming red, while the hens look 
equally gay in their gowns of black and bright yellow. On one of the 
lower branches of the same tree we notice a dumpy little bird with a short 
square tail, robin-like in colouring but very unrobin-like in shape. It 
suddenly takes to its wings, circles after some tiny insect, and returns to 
its perch, and thus we are able to recognise it as the Black-and-Orange 
Flycatcher. The sexes being alike in plumage we cannot say to which one 
this individual belongs. 
A sharp "chick, chick," followed by a little tune of six notes, betrays 
the presence of a Tickell's Blue Flycatcher. Approaching softly the tree 
whence the song seems to come we soon discover the exquisite little, 
glistening blue, red-breasted songster. 
We have now seen all the common Flycatchers of the Nilgiris save 
the blue one: (Sleparo! a albicaiidala), and it is not long before we come upon 
him. He is an indigo-coloured bird, with whitish underparts. Going a 
little farther we come upon the brownish-olive hen, with three youngsters, 
which are brown, spotted with yellow. 
(To be coiiiinued.) 
