DELHI VERSUS SURREY.
It is one of the charms of writing—especially in the Spectator—that bread cast upon the waters often, very often, returns after many days from overseas. Last summer a list was printed here of birds recorded in a Surrey garden. An Indian Civil servant now caps that list. The " garden " in question is an acre of poor grass, dotted with trees and fringed with flowering shrubs. The house lies in a residential road in New Delhi. Here is the portentous and most interesting list.
House Crow Jungle Babbler Large Grey Babbler Tree Pie Brown-backed Robin Rock Robin Magpie Robin Redstart Redspotted Bluethroat White Wagtail Mashed Wagtail Grey-headed Wagtail (M. flays) Black-headed Wagtail (M. fild:n.g) King-crow (drongo) Tawny Pipit Indian Pipit Bush Lark Bay-backed Shrike Grey-headed Shrike Wood-shrike
* * * *
Yellow-vented Bulbul Red-vented Bulbul Short-billed Minivet Little Minivet Sparrow White-throated Munia Golden Oriole Tailor-bird Indian Wren-warbler Ashy Wren-warbler Whitethroat (Sylvia) White-eye (rosterops) Common Myna Brahminy Myna Sunbird Roller-bird ("blue jay") Fantailed Flycatcher Coppersmith Hoopoe Bee-eater White-breasted King- fisher Golden-backed Wood- pecker Yellow-fronted Pied Woodpecker Rose-ringed Paroquet Hornbill Paddy Bird Crow-pheasant Brain-fever Bird (Hawk Cuckoo) Ring Dove Little Brown Dove Pigeon Red-wattled Lapwing Kite Tawny Eagle White-eyed Buzzard Long-legged Buzzard Laggar Falcon Black-backed Vulture Scavenger Vulture Spotted Owlet
Previous page
