d notes, the latter being in a slightly
higher key.

Of the remaining birds of prey perhaps only two can fairly be numbered
among the common birds of the Himalayas, and both of these are easy
to recognise. They are the kite and the kestrel.

The common pariah kite (_Milvus govinda_) is the most familiar
raptorial bird in India. Hundreds of kites dwell at every hill-station.
They spend the greater part of the day on the wing, either sailing
gracefully in circles high overhead or gliding on outstretched
pinions over mountain and valley, with head pointing downwards,
looking for the refuse on which they feed. To mistake a kite is
impossible. Throughout the day it makes the welkin ring with its
querulous _chee-hee-hee-hee-hee_. Some kites are larger than others,
consequently ornithologists, who are never so happy as when splitting
up species, have made a separate species of the larger race. This
latter is called _Milvus melanotis_, the large Indian kite. It is
common in the hills.

The kestrel (_Tinnunculus alaudarius_) is perhaps the easiest of all
the birds of prey to identify. It is a greyish fowl with dull brick-red
wings and shoulders. Its flight is very distinctive. It flaps the
wings more rapidly than do most of its kind. While beating over the
country it checks its flight now and again and hovers on rapidly
vibrating wings. It does this when it fancies it has seen a mouse,
lizard, or other living thing moving on the ground below. If its
surmise proves correct, it drops from above and thus takes its quarry
completely by surprise. It is on account of this peculiar habit of
hovering in the air that the kestrel is often called the wind-hover
in England. Needless to say, the kestrel affects open tracts rather
than forest country. One of these birds is usually to be seen engaged
in its craft above the bare slope of the hill on which Mussoorie is
built. Other places where kestrels are always to be seen are the bare
hills round Almora. The nest of this species is usually placed on
an inaccessible crag.

THE COLUMBIDAE OR DOVE FAMILY

The cooing community is not much in evidence in the hills. In the
Himalayas doves do not obtrude themselves upon our notice in the way
that they do in the plains.

The green-pigeon of the mountains is the kokla (_Sphenocercus
sphenurus_), so called on account of its melodious call, _kok-la_,
_kok-la_. In appearance it is very like the green-pigeon of the plains
and is equally difficu