in yellow. Its
prevailing hues are green and brown. The head, breast, and upper
abdomen are bright yellow, except the crown, crest, a broad streak
behind the eye, and a band running from the chin to the abdomen, which
are black. It is impossible to mistake this sprightly little bird,
which is like the English tom-tit in shape. Tits are arboreal in
habits; they seldom descend to the ground. Sometimes they go about
in small flocks. They are supposed to live chiefly on insects, but
most of them feed on fruit and seeds also, and the grey tit, alas,
eats peas, among which it works sad havoc. The inhabitants of the
Nilgiris call this last _Puttani kurivi_, which, I understand, means
the pea-bird.

THE CRATEROPODIDAE OR BABBLER FAMILY

This heterogeneous family is well represented in the Nilgiris.

The Madras seven sisters (_Crateropus griseus_) do not ascend the
hills to any considerable height. But, of course there are seven
sisters in the hills. Every part of India has its flocks of babblers.
The Nilgiri babbler is a shy bird; it seems to dislike being watched.
One might think it is aware that it is not so beautiful as it might
be. But this cannot be the reason, because it has no objection to
any person hearing its voice, which may be likened to the squeak of
a rusty axle. This Nilgiri babbler does not enter gardens unless they
are somewhat unkempt and contain plenty of thick bushes.

_Mirabile dictu_, this shy and retiring bird is none other than the
jungle babbler (_Crateropus canorus_)--the common seven sisters or
_sath bhai_--which in northern India is as bold and almost as
confiding as the robin. No one has attempted to explain why the habits
of this species on the Nilgiris should differ so much from those it
displays in other places.

The southern scimitar-babbler (_Pomatorhinus horsfieldi_), like the
jungle babbler on the Nilgiris, is a bird heard more often than seen.

Every person who has spent any time at Coonoor must be well acquainted
with the notes of this species. A common call is a loud
_ko-ko-ko-e-e-e_. Sometimes one bird calls _ko-ko-ko_, and another
answers _ko-ee_. When the birds are feeding in company, they keep
up a continual chatter, which is not unpleasing to the ear. When
alarmed they give vent to a harsh cry of a kind characteristic of
the babbler tribe. The scimitar-babbler is a bird nearly as big as
a myna. It is of brownish hue and has a tail of moderate length. The
breast and chin are