In the first half of August. It rains continuously. There is no storm, no thunder. It is just the steady swish of a tropical downpour. It stops for a day or so, but again there is endless rain and a permanent mist. The sun is not seen for days together Everything is damp and soggy.
After the rains, there come the scarlet minivets. They flit silently among the leaves like brilliant jewels. Even if they take shelter on leafy trees, they cannot conceal themselves because of their bright colour. Sometimes they plan to go unnoticed by remaining absolutely silent. but they don't succeed in hiding themselves. A pair of drongos chase them away.
The previous day afternoon, the leopard lifted a dog from near the servants' quarter below the school. In the evening. it attacked one of Bijju's cows, but fled as Bijju's mother came.
How is the silence within contrasted
with the sound of winter rains in the hills?
Answer
In the hills, the narrator witnesses endless winter rains. The rain keeps on drumming on the corrugated tin roof. At that time, the narrator has to keep himself shut up in a room, where he experiences hushed silence. It is very lonely and very quiet. The narrator sitting in the room enjoys a liquid silence, a silence within is contrasted with the noisy rain outside.
There is endless rain, so almost at the end of August lush monsoon growth has been in abundance. The seeds of the cobra lily have turned red. There are firm. green and upright ferns. Ground orchids have come up. Wild dahlias of red, yellow and magenta have raised their heads from the rocky crevices. Thus, monsoon growth has reached its peak.
Why is there no dearth of food for the insectivorous birds?
Answer
There is no dearth of food for the insectivorous birds because with rain
innumerable insects come up. They are so
great in number that insectivorous birds don't have to hunt around for them. They are never in the want of insects in this season.