A large pale slaty-grey bird with a black patch in front of the eye. The lower parts are paler than the upper parts and often exhibit more or less distinct narrow black cross bars; habits as above.
Found all over India, but rare in the N.W. portion of the peninsula.
Neither 42 or 43 are very common birds.
The Orioles, 44 and 45
[44]. Oriolus kundoo: The Indian Oriole, or Mango Bird. (F. 518), (J. 470), (-III.)
Cock: A bright yellow bird with a pink beak and red eyes. There is some black on the sides of the head and in the wings and the tail. During flight this bird looks like a flash of gold.
Hen: Of duller hue than the cock, with greenish back.
A strictly arboreal species. The note is a soft, rich, mellow peeho, peeho.
The nest is a wonderful structure—a large cup slung like a hammock or prawn net on the fork of a bow, usually placed in one of the lower branches of a lofty tree, but out of reach of a human being. This species very frequently builds in the same tree as the King Crow. The eggs are pale pink, with chocolate blotches, which wash off.
This bird is not found in Eastern Bengal, or in the eastern portion of Bengal proper. It is found all the year round in most parts of India, but is merely a summer visitor to the Punjab, N.W. F. P., and the Himalayas.