Page:On the Coromandel Coast.djvu/324

312 bird carries it to a great height and lets it fall to the ground, dropping itself close behind it. The snake is a tender-bodied creature, with a delicate backbone that is readily broken by the stroke of a slight cane. A fall from a height paralyses it, if it does not kill it outright, and the snake is eaten before it has time to recover consciousness.

It is strange that the Hindus should hold sacred the natural enemy of the snake. The Brahminy kite is sacred to Vishnu, and is known among them by the name of Garuda. Like the snake it is honoured by a kind of pujah which consists chiefly of feeding it. Pieces of meat are thrown into the air with the repetition of muntrums, and it is believed that Vishnu will reward the good action. Garuda is the emblem of the infinite. Its constant movement in a circle is symbolical of eternity. The sight of a Brahminy kite in the morning, especially if the day be Sunday, brings good luck. Many a Hindu takes the trouble to walk some distance to a spot where he is certain to see the bird so that he may be sure of good fortune.

It is one of the handsomest, though smallest, of all eagles. Its plumage is a glossy chestnut with white on the breast, neck, and head. The wings are pointed with black, which enhances the rich tawny colouring of its back. It is the only eagle whose size and appearance commends it as a possible pet. It might make itself useful as well as ornamental by killing the snakes in the compound, as the cat earns its living by destroying the mice in the house. Appearances are deceitful, however, there is something about the beautiful Brahminy kite which renders it impossible as a pet. Being of the same carnivorous mind as the vulture, it smells if anything a little worse than the Cooum River.

The note of the bird is a plaintive cry with a trembling at the end of it, as though it were on the point of bursting