rately long tails, which keep
to the tops of trees and make much noise, may with certainty be set
down as black bulbuls.

These curious birds form the subject of a separate essay.

THE SITTIDAE OR NUTHATCH FAMILY

The Sittidae are a well-defined family of little birds. When not
occupied with domestic cares, they congregate in small flocks that
run up and down the trunks and branches of trees in search of insects.
The nuthatch most commonly seen in the hills is the white-tailed
species (_Sitta himalayensis_). The general hue of this bird is slaty
blue. The forehead and a broad line running down the sides of the
head and neck are black. There is a good deal of white in the tail,
which is short in this and in all species of nuthatch. The under-parts
are of a chestnut hue. The Himalayan nuthatch is very partial to the
red berries of _Arisaema jacque-montii_--a small plant of the family
to which the arums and the "lords and ladies" belong. Half a dozen
nuthatches attacking one of the red spikes of this plant present a
pretty sight. The berries ripen in July and August, and at Naini Tal
one rarely comes across a complete spike because the nuthatches pounce
upon every berry the moment it is ripe.

THE DICRURIDAE OR DRONGO FAMILY

The famous black drongo or king-crow (_Dicrurus ater_) is the type
of this well-marked family of passerine birds. The king-crow is about
the size of a bulbul, but he has a tail 6 or 7 inches long, which
is gracefully forked. His whole plumage is glossy jet black. He loves
to sit on a telegraph wire or other exposed perch, and thence make
sallies into the air after flying insects. He is one of the commonest
birds in India. His cheery call--half-squeak, half-whistle--must be
familiar to every Anglo-Indian. As to his character, I will repeat
what I have said elsewhere: "The king-crow is the Black Prince of
the bird world--the embodiment of pluck. The thing in feathers of
which he is afraid has yet to be evolved. Like the mediaeval knight,
he goes about seeking those on whom he can perform some small feat
of arms. In certain parts of India he is known as the kotwal--the
official who stands forth to the poor as the impersonation of the
might and majesty of the British raj."

The king-crow is fairly abundant in the hills. On the lower ranges,
and especially at Almora, it is nearly as common as in the plains.
On the higher slopes, however, it is largely replaced by the ashy
drongo (_Dicrurus long