li)2 An April Morning in Northern India. 
me to see what the birds were doing-. Hitherto I had been 
a,ble to hear them or see them very dimly. Several little 
Doves {Tiirtur camhayensis) were running about the lawn, 
picking- uj) tiny objects. Two ])airs have nests in the creeper 
growing over the bungalow. One nest contains two white 
eggs and the other two baby birds. A third pair of Doves 
wero fussing- about in the creeper, evidently selecting a site 
for a nest. The Sparrows now began to make much noise. 
There are in the house or in the verandah not less than three 
nests, one of which appears to contain eggs, while the others 
are in course of construction. JSuddenly a hen Purple Sunl)ird 
(Arachnechthra afiatica) flitted past my bed, carrying some- 
thmg in her beak. She flew to the creeper and then I noticed 
that she had a nearly completed nest hanging from the creeper 
in front of a small window. The upper part of the nest, 
including the porch, was complete, and the Ijird was adding 
finishing touches to the lower part in the shape of bits of 
straw, grass, and paper. While I was watching her fussily 
hopping about on her nest, there arose a great uproar on Ihe 
lawn. Turning round to see the cause of this I beheld sevp.n 
Ccmmon Mynas {Acridothcres tristis) squabbling. Two pairs 
were fighting like furies, grappling with beak and claw, and 
fluttering their wings so as to display the white bar. The 
other throe Avere looking on and shouting, and now and again 
trying to peck at the combatants. Suddenly the whole llock 
flew into some bushes. The next excitement was afforded by 
a pair of Rollers or Blue -jays, as they are commonly called 
(Coracias indioa). These were throwing themselves about 
in the air like things demented, and uttering harsh cries. After 
behaving thus for fully a couple of minutes, they settled on 
trees. These birds have a nest in an old mango tree in 
the compound. The sun had by this time nearly risen, so that 
I could see plainly the beautiful Ijlues in their wings. For 
some minutes a pair of Hoopoes had been busy seeking food 
for their young. They had been alighting on the grass m 
front of the servants' houses and probing the soft ground 
Avith their bills, extracting something and carrying it with 
undulating flight on to the roof of the bungalow. 1 determined 
to find the nest as soon as I rose from my bed. But, as the 
sun had not yet lighted the topmost branches of the trees, I 
decided to linger a little longer. I was rewarded by witness- 
