12 MAY 1928, Page 12

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