Page:The Common Birds of Bombay.djvu/91

Rh not far from Bombay, in June ; a little nest, fixed in a fork of a thorny tree, scarcely more than big enough to hold the three brown-spotted eggs.

Then there is the large Cuckoo Shrike (Graucalus macei), a bird nearly as big as a pigeon, of a pale, slaty-grey colour. The under parts are greyish white, narrowly banded more or less distinctly with a darker shade. It eats large insects of any soft kind and also Banian figs and other fruit. As it passes, with a peculiar undulating 'flight, from one tree-top to another, it calls attention to itself by a loud, shrill cry of a single note. I have seen and heard it frequently on Malabar Hill.

Perhaps I should also mention the Woodshrike (Tephrodornis pondiceriana), a plain, brownish-ashy bird about the size of a bulbul, which is very common in thin, open jungle, but is not often seen, I think, in Bombay. They are insect hunters and go in pairs, or small flocks. As they fly from tree to tree, one calls to another, in sweet, whistling notes, "Be thee cheery?"

Last and least, but not to be passed by without notice, is the Mini vet (Pericrocotus peregrinus) a dainty little bird, reminding one of a Longtailed Tit, both by its appearance and habits. They go about the trees in flocks of half-a-dozen, conversing in a low, cheeping voice, and accomplishing a diligent search for little caterpillars and other insects among the foliage. Each flock is generally led by a male, black-throated and scarlet-breasted. The bevy of plainly attired birds that follow him may be either females or youngsters. They are not all his wives, for he is monogamous.