The grackle is a tame and familiar bird, and will
sometimes build its nest close to the habitation of man. I have seen
one on the top of a pillar, under the shelter of a veranda; and
occasionally an earthen-pot is placed for its accommodation in the
fork of a neighbouring tree. Though their brood may be constantly
removed, they will return, year after year, to the same nest,
expressing, however, their discontent and distress when robbed, by
keeping up for some days a loud and querulous chattering.
Those who dwell on the banks of the Ganges may sometimes see, during
the rainy season, a large boat floating past, having a raised cabin,
like a Bengalee hut, constructed of mat and straw. From the
multiplicity of cages inside and outside, it may be gathered that here
are fresh supplies for the bird-fancier--captives from the hills of
Rajmahal and Moryheer. The constant fluttering among the inmates of
the crowded cages, and their mournful and discordant notes, indicate
that they are anything but a happy family--that they have been only
recently caught, and are not yet habituated to confinement. They are
soon, however, disposed of at the different stations or towns at which
the boat anchors, and become in due time the solitary and apparently
happy pets I have already described.
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