ous ejaculations. At dusk, many of these
men may be seen parading through the bazaar, with their pets in their
hands, the latter loudly vociferating that Brahma is the greatest of
gods, or that Krishna and Radha were a loving couple; and so on. I
have often been amused at this mode of displaying religious zeal and
pious adoration.

Should you penetrate into the more crowded parts of the bazaar, you
might happen to see the taste of the bird-fancier displayed after a
different, but, I am happy to say, exceptional fashion. A shop may
sometimes be found having a square space enclosed with a railing, with
a divan in the middle, for the accommodation of the master and his
visitors. On this railing a number of birds are perched, many of them
little tame bulbuls; these are detained by a ligature, passing over
the shoulders of the bird, and tied under the breast, leaving his
wings and legs free. The bulbul, though not the bird known by that
name in Persia, is a pretty songster; but he is as desperate a fighter
as a gamecock. Those, therefore, who delight in cruel sports, bring
their little pets to these shops, where no doubt birds of the best
mettle are to be found; and on the result of a battle, money and
sweetmeats are lost and won, while many a poor little bird falls a
sacrifice to its master's depraved taste. The tiny _amadavad_, with
his glowing carmine neck, and distinct little pearly spots, may also
occasionally be seen doing battle; he fights desperately, though he
also warbles the sweetest of songs.

The affluent Hindoo Baboo or Mohammedan Nawab, among other luxuries,
keeps also his aviary. In these may be seen rare and expensive
parrots, brought from the Spice Islands. They delight also in _diyuls_
and _shamahs_. The latter is a smaller bird than our thrush, but
larger than a lark; his breast is orange, the rest of his plumage
black, and in song he is equal to our black-bird. The diyul also sings
sweetly; he is about the same size as the shamah, his plumage black,
with a white breast, and white tips to his wings. A well-trained bird
of either kind sells for about ten rupees, and twenty will be given
for a cuckoo from the Nepaul hills. A Baboo whom I knew had several
servants to look after his aviary, one of whom had to go daily in
search of white ants and ants' eggs for his insectivorous charge; for
the shamah and diyul are both insect-eaters.

Some of the _Minas_ (Gracula), of which there are several kinds in
Indi