the presence of the koel
at Almora and its absence from other hill stations to the fact that
at Almora alone the koel's dupe occurs.

THE PSITTACIDAE OR PARROT FAMILY

The parrots are not strongly represented in the Himalayas. Only one
species is commonly seen at the various hill stations. This is the
slaty-headed paroquet (_Palaeornis schisticeps_). In appearance it
closely resembles the common green parrot of the plains (_P.
torquatus_), differing chiefly in having the head slate coloured
instead of green. The cock, moreover, has a red patch on the shoulder.
The habits of the slaty-headed paroquet are those of the common green
parrot: its cries, however, are less harsh, and it is less
aggressively bold. The pretty little western blossom-headed paroquet
(_P. cyanocephalus_) ascends the hills to a height of some 5000 feet.
It is recognisable by the fact that the head of the cock is red, tinged
with blue like the bloom on a plum.

THE STRIGIDAE OR OWL FAMILY

We now come to those much-abused birds--the owls. The Himalayas, in
common with most other parts of the world, are well stocked with these
pirates of the night. The vast majority of owls, being strictly
nocturnal, escape observation. Usually the presence of any species
of owl in a locality is made known only by its voice. I may here remark
that diurnal birds know as little about nocturnal birds as the man
in the street does, hence the savage manner in which they mob any
luckless owl that happens to be abroad in the daytime. Birds are
intensely conservative; they resent strongly what they regard as an
addition to the local avifauna. This assertion may be proved by
setting free a cockatoo in the plains of India. Before the bird has
been at large for ten minutes it will be surrounded by a mob of reviling
crows.

The collared pigmy owlet (_Glaucidium brodiei_) is perhaps the
commonest owl in the Himalayas: at any rate, it is the species that
makes itself heard most often. Those who sit out of doors after dinner
cannot fail to have remarked a soft low whistle heard at regular
intervals of about thirty seconds. That is the call of the pigmy
collared owlet. The owlet itself is a tiny creature, about the size
of a sparrow. Like several other little owls, it sometimes shows
itself during the daytime. Once at Mussoorie I noticed a pigmy
collared owlet sitting as bold as brass on a conspicuous branch about
midday and making grimaces at me. The other species likely