the Nilgiris have an advantage over the Himalayas.

The majority of the kites appear to migrate from the Nilgiris during
the south-west monsoon.

The Brahmany kite (_Haliastur indus_)--the handsome kite with white
head and breast and rich chestnut-red wings--is sometimes seen on
the Nilgiris, but scarcely sufficiently often to merit a place among
the common birds.

The three remaining raptores that are of frequent occurrence on the
hills of South India are the shikra (_Astur badius_), the crested
goshawk (_Lophospizias trivirgatus_), and the kestrel (_Tinnunculus
alaudarius_). The shikra is very like the brain-fever bird in
appearance. It is a little smaller than the common house-crow. The
upper plumage is ashy grey. The tail is of the same hue, but with
broad dark brown cross-bars. In young birds the breast is white with
dark drops; in older birds the drops become replaced by wavy
rust-coloured cross-bars. The eye is bright yellow, as is the cere
or base of the beak. The crested goshawk may be described in brief
as a large shikra with a crest.

The kestrel is the bird known in England as the windhover, on account
of its habit of hovering in mid-air on rapidly-vibrating wings before
pouncing on the lizard or other small fry, for which it is ever on
the watch. This species is about the same size as the shikra. The
head, neck, and tail are grey; the back and wings are dull red. The
lower parts are cream-coloured, spotted with brown.

THE COLUMBIDAE OR DOVE FAMILY

Jerdon's imperial pigeon (_Ducula cuprea_) is a beautiful bird 17
inches long, of which the tail accounts for 7 inches. The prevailing
hue of this pigeon is grey. The head, breast, abdomen, and neck are
suffused with lilac. The back and wings are olive brown. The legs
are dull lake red, as is the bill, except the tip, which is blue.
This fine bird is confined to dense forest; it is said to be fond
of the wild nutmeg.

The Nilgiri wood-pigeon (_Alsocomus elphistonii_) is another
forest-haunting bird. Its prevailing hue is dove grey, with a
beautiful gloss on the back, which appears lilac in some lights and
green in others. The only other ornament in its plumage is a
black-and-white shepherd's plaid tippet. The wood-pigeon is as large
as the imperial pigeon. Of the doves, that which is most often seen
on the Nilgiris is the spotted dove (_Turtur suratensis_). This is
easily distinguished from the other members of the family by its
reddish wings spotted