THE MOTACILLIDAE OR WAGTAIL FAMILY The great majority of the wagtails are merely winter visitors to India. Thus they are likely to be seen in the hills only when resting from their travels. That is to say, in April and May, when homeward bound, or in September and October, when they move southwards. A few wagtails, however, tarry in the hills till quite late in the season. The wagtail most likely to be seen is the grey wagtail (_Motacilla melanope_). This species, notwithstanding its name, has bright yellow lower plumage. It nests in Kashmir. Allied to the wagtails are the pipits. These display the elegant form of the wagtail and the sober colouring of the lark. They affect open country and feed on the ground. The upland pipit (_Oreocorys sylvanus_) is the common species of the Himalayas. It constructs a nest of grass on the ground, into which the common cuckoo, of which more anon, frequently drops an egg. THE NECTARINIDAE OR SUNBIRD FAMILY The sunbirds are feathered exquisites. They take in the Old World the place in the New World occupied by the humming-birds. Sunbirds, however, are superior to humming-birds in that they possess the gift of song. They are not particularly abundant in the Himalayas, and, as they do not seem to occur west of Garhwal, I am perhaps not justified in giving them a place in this essay. I do so because one species is fairly common round about Naini Tal. I have seen this bird--the Himalayan yellow-backed sunbird (_AEthopyga scheriae_)--flitting about, sucking honey from the flowers in the verandah of the hotel at the brewery below Naini Tal. The head and neck of the cock are glistening green. The back, shoulders, chin, throat, breast, and sides of the head are crimson. The lower parts are greenish yellow. The two median tail feathers are longer than the others. The bill is long and curved. The hen is a comparatively dull greenish-brown bird. THE DICAEIDAE OR FLOWER-PECKER FAMILY The fire-breasted flower-pecker (_Dicaeum ignipectus_) is perhaps the smallest bird in India. Its total length does not exceed 3 inches. The upper parts are greenish black and the lower parts buff. The cock has a large patch of crimson on his breast, with a black patch lower down. As this species frequents lofty trees, it is usually seen from below, and the crimson breast renders the cock unmistakeable. THE PICIDAE OR WOODPECKER FAMILY Woodpeckers abound in the well-wooded Himalayas.