Chapter V: Part 5

This is not the breeding season, therefore the bird choir is not at its best, nevertheless the feathered folk everywhere proclaim the pleasure of existence by making a joyful noise. From the crowded _jhil_ emanate the sweet twittering of the wagtails, the clanging call of the geese, the sibilant note of the whistling teal, the curious _a-onk_ of the brahminy ducks, the mewing of the jacanas and the quacking of many kinds of ducks. Everywhere in the fields and the groves are heard the cawing of the crows, the wailing of the kites, the cooing of the doves, the twittering of the sparrows, the crooning of the white-eyes, the fluting of the wood-shrikes, the tinkling of the bulbuls, the chattering of the mynas, the screaming of the green parrots, the golden-backed woodpeckers and the white-breasted kingfishers, the mingled harmony and discord of the tree-pies, the sharp monosyllabic notes of the various warblers, the melody of the sunbirds and the flycatchers. The green barbets also call spasmodically throughout the month, chiefly in the early morning and the late afternoon, but the only note uttered by the coppersmith is a soft _wow_. The hoopoe emits occasionally a spasmodic _uk-uk-uk_.

The migrating birds continue to pour into India during the earlier part of November. The geese are the last to arrive, they begin to come before the close of October, and, from the second week of November onwards, V-shaped flocks of these fine birds may be seen or heard overhead at any hour of the day or night.

The nesting activities of the fowls of the air are at their lowest ebb in November. Some thirty species are known to rear up young in the present month as opposed to five hundred in May. In the United Provinces the only nest which the ornithologist can be sure of finding is that of the white-backed vulture.

Some of the amadavats are still nesting. Most of the eggs laid by these birds in the rains yielded young ones in September, but it often happens that the brood does not emerge from the eggs until the end of October, with the result that in the earlier part of the present month parties of baby amadavats are to be seen enjoying the first days of their aerial existence. A few black-necked storks do not lay until November; thus there is always the chance of coming upon an incubating stork in the present month. Here and there a grey partridge's nest containing eggs may be found. As has been said, the nesting season of this species is not well-defined.

The quaint little thick-billed mites known as white-throated munias (_Munia malabarica_) are also very irregular as to their nesting habits. Their eggs have been taken in every month of the year except June.

In some places Indian sand-martins are busy at their nests, but the breeding season of the majority of these birds does not begin until January.

Pallas's fishing-eagle is another species of which the eggs are likely to be found in the present month. If a pair of these birds have a nest they betray the fact to the world by the unmusical clamour they make from sunrise to sunset.

The nesting season of the tawny eagle or wokab (_Aquila vindhiana_) begins in November. The nest is a typical raptorial one, being a large platform of sticks. It may attain a length of three feet and it is usually as broad as it is long; it is about six inches in depth. It is generally lined with leaves, sometimes with straw or grass and a few feathers. It is placed at the summit of a tree. Two eggs are usually laid. These are dirty white, more or less speckled with brown. The young ones are at first covered with white down; in this respect they resemble baby birds of prey of other species. The man who attempts to take the eggs or young of this eagle must be prepared to ward off the attack of the female, who, as is usual among birds of prey, is larger, bolder and more powerful than the male. At Lahore the writer saw a tawny eagle stoop at a man who had climbed a tree and secured the eagle's eggs. She seized his turban and flew off with it, having inflicted a scratch on his head. For the recovery of his turban the egg-lifter had to thank a pair of kites that attacked the eagle and caused her to drop that article while defending herself from their onslaught.

DECEMBER

Striped squirrels raced; the mynas perked and pricked,
The seven sisters chattered in the thorn,
The pied fish-tiger hung above the pool,
The egrets stalked among the buffaloes,
The kites sailed circles in the golden air;
About the painted temple peacocks flew.
ARNOLD, _The Light of Asia_.

In the eyes of the Englishman December in Northern India is a month of halcyon days, of days dedicated to sport under perfect climatic conditions, of bright sparkling days spent at the duck tank, at the snipe _jhil_, in the _sal_ forest, or among the Siwaliks, days on which office files rest in peace, and the gun, the rifle and the rod are made to justify their existence. Most Indians, unfortunately, hold a different opinion of December. These love not the cool wind that sweeps across the plains. To them the rapid fall of temperature at sunset is apt to spell pneumonia.

The average villager is a hot-weather organism. He is content with thin cotton clothing which he wears year in year out, whether the mercury in the thermometer stand at 115 degrees or 32 degrees. However, many of the better-educated Indians have learned from Englishmen how to protect themselves against cold; we may therefore look forward to the time when even the poorest Indian will be able to enjoy the health-bringing, bracing climate of the present month.

By the 1st December the last of the spring crops has been sown, most of the cotton has been picked, and the husbandmen are busy cutting and pressing the sugar-cane and irrigating the poppy and the _rabi_ cereals.

The crop-sown area is covered with a garment that, seen from a little distance, appears to be made of emerald velvet. Its greenness is intensified by contrast with the dried-up grass on the grazing lands. In many places the mustard crop has begun to flower; the bright yellow blooms serve to enliven the somewhat monotonous landscape. In the garden the chrysanthemums and the loquat trees are still in flower; the poinsettias put forth their showy scarlet bracts and the roses and violets begin to produce their fragrant flowers.

The bird choir is composed of comparatively few voices. Of the seasonal choristers the grey-headed flycatchers are most often heard. The fantail flycatchers occasionally sing their cheerful lay, but at this season they more often emit a plaintive call, as if they were complaining of the cold.

Some of the sunbirds are still in undress plumage; a few have not yet come into song, these give vent only to harsh scolding notes. From the thicket emanate sharp sounds--_tick-tick_, _chee-chee_, _chuck-chuck_, _chiff-chaff_; these are the calls of the various warblers that winter with us. Above the open grass-land the Indian skylarks are singing at Heaven's gate; these birds avoid towns and groves and gardens, in consequence their song is apt to be overlooked by human beings. Very occasionally the oriole utters a disconsolate-sounding _tew_; he is a truly tropical bird; it is only when the sun flames overhead out of a brazen sky that he emits his liquid notes. Here and there a hoopoe, more vigorous than his fellows, croons softly--_uk_, _uk_, _uk_. The coppersmith now and then gives forth his winter note--a subdued _wow_; this is heard chiefly at the sunset hour.

The green barbet calls spasmodically throughout December, but, as a rule, only in the afternoon. Towards the end of the month some of the nuthatches and the robins begin to tune up. On cloudy days the king-crows utter the soft calls that are usually associated with the rainy season.

December, like November, although climatically very pleasant, is a month in which the activities of the feathered folk are at a comparatively low ebb. The cold, however, sends to India thousands of immigrants. Most of these spend the whole winter in the plains of India. Of such are the redstart, the grey-headed flycatcher, the snipe and the majority of the game birds. Besides these regular migrants there are many species which spend a few days or weeks in the plains, leaving the Himalayas when the weather there becomes very inclement. Thus the ornithologist in the plains of Northern India lives in a state of expectancy from November to January. Every time he walks in the fields he hopes to see some uncommon winter visitor. It may be a small-billed mountain thrush, a blue rock-thrush, a wall-creeper, a black bulbul, a flycatcher-warbler, a green-backed tit, a verditer flycatcher, a black-throated or a grey-winged ouzel, a dark-grey bush-chat, a pine-bunting, a Himalayan whistling thrush, or even a white-capped redstart. Indeed, there is scarcely a species which inhabits the lower ranges of the Himalayas that may not be driven to the plains by a heavy fall of snow on the mountains. Naturally it is in the districts nearest the hills that most of these rare birds are seen--but there is no part of Northern India in which they may not occur.

The nesting activity of birds in Upper India attains its zenith in May, and then declines until it reaches its nadir in November. With December it begins again to increase.

Of those birds whose nests were described last month the white-backed vulture, Pallas's fishing-eagle, the tawny eagle, the sand-martin and the black-necked stork are likely to be found with eggs or young in the present month.

December marks the beginning of the nesting season for three large owls--the brown fish-owl, the rock horned-owl and the dusky horned-owl. The brown fish-owl (_Ketupa ceylonensis_) is a bird almost as large as a kite. It has bright orange orbs and long, pointed aigrettes. Its legs are devoid of feathers. According to Blanford it has a dismal cry like _haw_, _haw_, _haw_, _ho_. "Eha" describes the call as a ghostly hoot--a _hoo hoo hoo_, far-reaching, but coming from nowhere in particular. These two descriptions do not seem to agree. There is nothing unusual in this.

The descriptions of the calls of the nocturnal birds of prey given by India ornithologists are notoriously unsatisfactory. This is perhaps not surprising when we consider the wealth of bird life in this country. It is no easy matter to ascertain the perpetrators of the various sounds of the night, and, when the naturalist has succeeded in fixing the author of any call, he finds himself confronted with the difficult task of describing the sound in question. Bearing in mind the way in which human interjections baffle the average writer, we cannot be surprised at the poor success that crowns the endeavours of the naturalist to syllabise bird notes.

As regards the call of the brown fish-owl the writer has been trying for the past three or four years to determine by observation which of the many nocturnal noises are to be ascribed to this species. With this object he kept one of these owls captive for several weeks; the bird steadfastly refused to utter a sound. One hoot would have purchased its liberty; but the bird would not pay the price: it sulked and hissed. The bird in question, although called a fish-owl, does not live chiefly on fish. Like others of its kind it feeds on birds, rats and mice. Hume found in the nest of this species two quails, a pigeon, a dove and a myna, each with the head, neck and breast eaten away, but with the wings, back, feet and tail remaining almost intact. "Eha" has seen the bird stoop on a hare. The individual kept by the writer throve on raw meat. This owl is probably called the fish-owl because it lives near rivers and tanks and invariably nests in the vicinity of water. The nest may be in a tree or on a ledge in a cliff. Sometimes the bird utilises the deserted cradle of a fishing-eagle or vulture. The structure which the bird itself builds is composed of sticks and feathers and, occasionally, a few dead leaves. Two white eggs are laid. The breeding season lasts from December to March.

The rock horned-owl (_Bubo bengalensis_) is of the same size as the fish-owl, and, like the latter, has aigrettes and orange-yellow orbs, but its legs are feathered to the toes. This owl feeds on snakes, rats, mice, birds, lizards, crabs, and even large insects. "A loud dissyllabic hoot" is perhaps as good a description of its call as can be given in words. This species breeds from December to April. March is the month in which the eggs are most likely to be found. The nesting site is usually a ledge on some cliff overhanging water. A hollow is scooped out in the ledge, and, on the bare earth, four white eggs are laid.

The dusky horned-owl (_Bubo coromandus_) may be distinguished from the rock-horned species by the paler, greyer plumage, and by the fact that its eyes are deep yellow, rather than orange. Its cry has been described as _wo_, _wo_, _wo_, _wo-o-o_. The writer would rather represent it as _ur-r-r_, _ur-r-r_, _ur-r-r-r-r_--a low grunting sound not unlike the call of the red turtle-dove. This owl is very partial to crows. Mr. Cripps once found fifteen heads of young crows in a nest belonging to one of these birds. December and January are the months in which to look for the nest, which is a platform of sticks placed in a fork of a large tree. Two eggs are laid.

The breeding season for Bonelli's eagle (_Hieraetus fasciatus_) begins in December. The eyrie of this fine bird is described in the calendar for January.

In the Punjab many ravens build their nests during the present month.

Throughout January, February and the early part of March ravens' nests containing eggs or young are likely to be seen.

Ordinarily the nesting season of the common kite (_Milvus govinda_) does not begin until February, but as the eggs of this bird have been taken as early as the 29th December, mention of it must be made in the calendar for the present month. A similar remark applies to the hoopoe (_Upupa indica_).

Doves nest in December, as they do in every other month.

Occasionally a colony of cliff-swallows (_Hirundo flavicolla_) takes time by the forelock and begins to build one of its honeycomb-like congeries of nests in December. This species was dealt with in the calendar for February.

Blue rock-pigeons mostly nest at the beginning of the hot weather. Hume, however, states that some of these birds breed as early as Christmas Day. Mr. P. G. S. O'Connor records the finding of a nest even earlier than that. The nest in question was in a weir of a canal. The weir was pierced by five round holes, each about nine inches in diameter. Through four of these the water was rushing, but the fifth was blocked by debris, and on this a pair of pigeons had placed their nest.

GLOSSARY

_Arhar_. A leguminous crop plant which attains a height of four feet or more.

_Chik_. A curtain composed of a number of very thin strips of wood. Chiks are hung in front of doors and windows in India with the object of keeping out insects, but not air.

_Holi_. A Hindu festival.

_Jhil_. A lake or any natural depression which is filled with rain-water at all or in certain seasons.

_Kharif_. Autumn. Rice and other crops which are reaped in autumn are called _kharif_ crops. Crops such as wheat which are cut in spring are called _rabi_ crops. Two crops (sometimes three) are raised in India annually.

_Megas_. Sugar-cane from which the juice has been extracted.

_Rabi_. Spring. See _Kharif_.

_Shikari_. One who goes hunting or shooting.

_Tope_. A term applied to a grove of mango trees, artificially planted. Thousands of such topes exist in Northern India. In some places they are quite a feature of the landscape.

INDEX

Amadavat. _See_ Red munia

Babbler, common (_Crateropus canorus_), 36, 49, 68, 82, 89, 108, 120, 124, 142, 156, 162, 163, 183 --large grey (_Argya malcomi_), 162

Barbet, green (_Thereiceryx zeylonicus_), 7, 20, 53, 66, 68, 82, 89, 106, 108, 121, 138, 155, 168, 185, 192

Baya. _See_ Weaver-bird

Bee-eater, 3, 73, 74, 108, 120, 125, 139, 157, 169, 172, 182 --blue-tailed (_Merops philippinus_), 43, 89 --little green (_M. viridis_), 43, 89

Blue Jay. _See_ Roller

Blue-throat, 172

Brain-fever bird. _See_ Hawk-cuckoo

Bulbul, 5, 20, 36, 65, 68, 89, 107, 108, 123, 182, 185 --Bengal (_Molpastes bengalensis_), 47 --black (_Hypsipetes psaroides_), 192 --red-whiskered (_Otocompsa emeria_), 46

Bunting, 40, 41, 172, 183 --black-headed (_Emberiza melanocephala_), 41 --pine (_Emberiza leucocephala_), 193 --red-headed (_Emberiza luteola_), 41

Buzzard, 175, 183 --long-legged (_Buteo ferox_), 160 --white-eyed (_Butastur teesa_), 30, 44, 68, 69, 89, 108, 160

Chat, 3 --brown-rock (_Cercomela fuscus_), 59, 70, 89, 108, 123, 138 --dark grey bush (_Oreicola ferrea_), 193 --Indian bush (_Pratincola maura_), 42, 172, 173 --pied bush (_Pratincola caprata_), 21, 65, 74, 89, 170

Coot, common (_Fulica atra_), 135 --purple (_Porphyrio poliocephalus_), 121, 133, 135, 146, 184

Coppersmith or crimson-breasted barbet (_Xantholaema haematocephala_), 7, 20, 23, 44, 53, 66, 68, 82, 89, 106, 108, 121, 138, 169, 185, 191

Cormorant, 3, 133, 135, 142, 183

Crane, 184 --demoiselle (_Anthropoides virgo_), 167, 171 --sarus (_Grus antigone_), 5, 98, 133, 143, 156, 176

Creeper, wall, 192

Crow, 13, 36, 69, 119, 156, 169, 183, 185 --black, or jungle crow or corby (_Corvus macrorhynchus_), 5, 25, 44, 68, 89 --house (_Corvus splendens_), 5, 108, 113, 124, 125, 141, 162

Crow-pheasant or coucal (_Centropus sinensis_), 36, 82, 112, 120, 138, 142, 156, 164, 170, 176, 183

Cuckoo, European (_Cuculus canorus_), 66, 80 --hawk (_Hierococcyx varius_), 20, 36, 49, 82, 84, 120, 124, 138, 155, 157, 168 --Indian (_Cuculus micropterus_), 85, 120, 138 --pied crested (_Coccystes jacobinus_), 114, 120, 124, 138, 142, 155, 157, 163 --sirkeer (_Taccocua leschenaulti_), 124

Cuckoo-shrike (_Grauculus macii_), 5, 51, 52, 89, 108, 124, 142, 169

Curlew, 171, 184

Dabchick, or little grebe (_Podiceps albipennis_), 150, 183

Darter. _See_ Snake-bird

Dhayal. _See_ Magpie-robin

Did-he-do-it. _See_ Red-wattled lapwing

Dove, 8, 9, 21, 44, 54, 68, 89, 108, 123, 156, 162, 169, 174, 185 --little brown (_Turtur cambayensis_), 5 --red turtle (_Oenopopelia tranquebarica_), 157, 172 --ring (_Turtur risorius_), 5 --spotted (_Turtur suratensis_), 5

Drongo or king-crow (_Dicrurus ater_), 3, 36, 38, 43, 77, 90, 107, 108, 120, 121, 138, 157, 169, 170, 182, 192

Duck, 3, 133, 146, 183, 185 --brahminy (_Casarca rutila_), 64, 185 --comb or nukta (_Sarcidiornis melanotus_), 115, 135, 143, 149 --gadwall (_Chaulelasmus streperus_), 64, 171 --mallard (_Anas boscas_), 64 --pintail (_Dafila acuta_), 41, 64, 171 --pochard (_Netta ferina_), 64, 171 --shoveller (_Spatula clypeata_), 171 --spot-billed (_Anas poecilorhyncha_), 134, 135 --widgeon (_Mareca penelope_), 64, 171

Eagle, 21 --Bonelli's (_Hieraetus fasciatus_), 10, 44, 197 --Pallas's fishing (_Haliaetus leucoryphus_), 11, 43, 187, 193 --steppe (_Aquila bifasciata_), 160 --tawny (_Aquila vindhiana_), 11, 44, 68, 89, 160, 187, 193

Egret, 99, 133, 134, 135, 142 --cattle (_Bubulcus coromandus_), 100, 151

Falcon, lugger (_Falco jugger_), 160 --peregrine (_Falco peregrinus_), 160, 161, 174 --shahin (_Falco peregrinator_), 174

Finch, rose (_Carpodacus erythrinus_), 158, 172, 183

Finch-lark, ashy-crowned (_Pyrrhulauda grisea_), 28, 44, 56, 68, 89, 183

Flycatcher, 3, 185 --fantail (_Rhipidura albifrontata_), 5, 29, 44, 68, 83, 89, 106, 108, 125, 142, 156, 170, 182, 191 --grey-headed (_Culicicapa ceylonensis_), 6, 21, 42, 156, 170, 172, 182, 191, 192 --paradise (_Terpsiphone paradisi_), 42, 43, 77, 92, 107, 108, 123, 157, 172 --red-breasted (_Siphia albicilla_), 172 --verditer (_Stoparola melanops_), 42, 193

Gadwall. _See_ Duck

Goatsucker. _See_ Nightjar

Goose, 3, 64, 171, 185 --grey-lag (_Anser ferus_), 41

Grebe. _See_ Dabchick

Harrier, 161, 183

Hawk, sparrow, 160

Heron, 135, 184 --night (_Nycticorax griseus_), 89, 113, 133, 142 --pond, or paddy-bird (_Ardeola grayii_), 99, 113, 134, 142, 184

Honeysucker. _See_ Sunbird

Hoopoe (_Upupa indica_), 7, 17, 20, 23, 68, 83, 97, 108, 170, 182, 185, 191, 197

Hornbill, grey (_Lophoceros birostris_), 78, 95, 108

Ibis, 184 --black (_Inocotis papillosus_), 135

Iora (_Aegithina tiphia_), 35, 65, 71, 72, 83, 89, 106, 108, 121, 123

Jacana, 121, 133, 185 --bronze-winged (_Metopus indicus_), 134, 135, 144, 145, 183 --pheasant-tailed (_Hydrophasianus chirurgus_), 114, 135, 144, 145, 183

Jackdaw, 3, 172

Jungle-fowl (_Gallus ferrugineus_), 108

Kestrel, 160, 161, 183

King-crow. _See_ Drongo

Kingfisher, 184, 185 --pied (_Ceryle rudis_), 27, 44, 68, 88 --white-breasted (_Halcyon smyrnensis_), 5, 45, 68, 73, 89, 106, 108, 121, 138, 182

Kite (_Milvus govinda_), 5, 14, 26, 44, 68, 89, 108, 119, 156, 160, 169, 183, 185, 191 --black-winged (_Elanus caeruleus_), 160 --brahminy (_Haliastur indicus_), 56, 68 --large Indian (_Milvus melanotis_), 160

Koel (_Eudynamis honorata_), 8, 43, 82, 84, 110, 120, 124, 125, 138, 141, 155, 157, 163, 168

Lapwing, 108, 123, 183 --red-wattled (_Sarcogrammus indicus_), 5, 77, 88, 89, 139 --yellow-wattled (_Sarciophorus malabaricus_), 77, 89

Lark, crested (_Galerita cristata_), 21, 56, 89, 108 --red-winged bush (_Mirafra erythroptera_), 123 --sky (_Alauda gulgula_), 21, 68, 89, 108, 183, 191

Mallard. _See_ Duck

Martin, sand (_Cotyle sinensis_), 14, 21, 44, 68, 73, 89, 167, 187, 193

Merlin, common (_Aesalon regulus_), 160, 161 --red-headed (_Aesalon chicquera_), 12, 21, 44, 68, 89, 160

Minivet, 51, 158, 172, 181 --little (_Pericrocotus peregrinus_), 52, 68, 89, 125, 142

Munia, 21 --red or amadavat (_Estrelda amandava_), 15, 44, 124, 140, 156, 186 --white-throated (_Uroloncha malabarica_), 16, 44, 162, 186

Myna, 5, 82, 108, 156, 157, 175, 182, 183 --bank (_Acridotheres ginginianus_), 59, 89, 94, 123 --brahminy (_Temenuchus pagodarum_), 73, 94, 124 --common (_Acridotheres tristis_), 59, 73, 93, 124, 142, 162, 185 --pied. _See_ Pied Starling

Nightjar, 53, 66, 87, 89, 108 --Franklin's (_Caprimulgus monticolus_), 37, 88 --Horsfield's (_Caprimulgus horsfieldi_), 37, 88, 106 --Indian (_Caprimulgus asiaticus_), 37, 88

Nuthatch (_Sitta castaneiventris_), 7, 20, 23, 44, 68, 83, 88, 182, 192

Openbill (_Anastomus oscitans_), 142

Oriole, 78, 83, 106, 108, 124, 138, 156, 157, 169, 172, 182, 191 --black-headed (_Oriolus melanocephalus_), 20, 42 --Indian (_Oriolus kundoo_), 42, 90

Osprey, 3, 160, 161, 184

Ouzel, black-throated (_Merula atrigularis_), 193 --grey-winged (_Merula boulboul_), 193

Owl, 66, 159 --barn (_Strix flammea_), 29, 49 --brown fish (_Ketupa ceylonensis_), 14, 21, 44, 193, 194, 195 --collared scops (_Scops bakkamaena_), 22, 44, 87 --dusky horned (_Bubo coromandus_), 6, 14, 22, 193, 196 --mottled wood (_Syrnium ocellatum_), 22, 44 --rock horned (_Bubo bengalensis_), 14, 21, 44, 193, 195

Owlet, jungle (_Glaucidium radiatum_), 6, 86, 138, 169 --spotted (_Athene brama_), 6, 53, 68, 86, 88, 98, 118, 138, 169

Paddy-bird. _See_ Pond-heron

Paroquet or green parrot, 5, 30, 36, 68, 88, 97, 156, 169, 183, 185 --alexandrine (_Palaeornis eupatrius_), 31, 44 --rose-winged (_Palaeornis torquatus_), 31, 44, 53

Parrot, green _See_ Paroquet

Partridge, black (_Francolinus vulgaris_), 98, 107, 138 --grey (_Francolinus pondicerianus_), 76, 89, 97, 108, 162, 186

Pea-fowl (_Pavo cristatus_), 98, 124, 138, 142, 162

Pelican, 3, 184

Pie, tree (_Dendrocitta rufa_), 5, 36, 59, 68, 89, 108, 123, 169, 185

Pigeon, blue rock (_Columba intermedia_), 17, 22, 69, 89, 108, 197 --green (_Crocopus phoenicopterus_), 89, l08, 123

Pipit (_Anthus rufulus_), 56, 68, 89, 108

Plover, 142, 183 --little ringed (_Aegialitis dubia_), 89 --spur-winged (_Hoplopterus ventralis_), 57, 89 --swallow (_Glareola lactea_), 57

Pochard. _See_ Duck

Quail, 64, 183 --grey (_Coturnix communis_), 159, 172 --rain (_Coturnix coromandelica_), 121

Rail, water (_Rallus indicus_), 184

Raven, 3, 14, 44, 197

Redstart, Indian (_Ruticilla frontalis_), 158, 167, 172, 173, 182, 192 --white-capped (_Chimarrhornis leucocephalus_), 193

Robin, Indian (_Thamnobia cambayensis_), 21, 35, 59, 65, 76, 89, 108, 123, 182, 191 --magpie (_Copsychus saularis_), 8, 35, 65, 73, 74, 83, 89, 106, 108, 120, 121, 123, 138, 155, 182

Roller or "blue jay" (_Coracias indica_), 38, 39, 53, 67, 73, 83, 89, 106, 108, 123, 139, 141, 156, 169, 170, 182

Rook, 3, 172

Sand-grouse, 77, 89

Sandpiper, 171

Seven Sisters. _See_ Babbler

Shikra (_Astur badius_), 69, 89, 160

Shoveller. _See_ Duck

Shrike, 38, 50, 68, 89, 108, 123, 142, 182 --bay-backed (_Lanius vittatus_), 51 --large grey (_Lanius lahtora_), 21, 32, 50 --rufous-backed (_Lanius erythronotus_), 51

Skimmer, Indian (_Rhynchops albicollis_), 57

Skylark. _See_ Lark

Snake-bird (_Plotus melanogaster_), 3, 133, 135, 142, 183

Snipe, 3, 64, 139, 158, 172, 184, 192 --fantail or full (_Gallinago coelestis_), 140 --jack (_Gallinago gallinula_), 140 --pintail (_Gallinago stenura_), 139

Sparrow (_Passer domesticus_), 54, 89, 108, 123, 185 --yellow-throated (_Gymnorhis flavicollis_), 43, 73, 89, 157, 172

Spoonbill, 135, 142

Starling, 3, 172, 182 --pied (_Sternopastor contra_), 77, 94, 107, 124, 138, 142, 155, 168 --rosy (_Pastor roseus_), 36, 40, 139

Stork, 171, 184 --black-necked (_Xenorhynchus asiaticus_), 176, 186, 193 --white-necked (_Dissura episcopus_), 113, 124, 135, 142

Sunbird, purple (_Arachnechthra asiatica_), 3, 6, 8, 20, 24, 36, 43, 44, 65, 68, 89, 106, 108, 123, 156, 157, 170, 172, 182, 185, 191

Swallow, 172, 182, 184 --Indian cliff (_Hirundo fluvicola_), 17, 22, 44, 68, 89, 133, 140, 197 --wire-tailed (_Hirundo smithii_), 54, 68, 89, 108, 124, 125, 142

Swift (_Cypselus indicus_), 54, 68, 89, 108, 123, 142, 182, 184

Tailor-bird (_Orthotomus sutorius_), 5, 59, 65, 72, 82, 89, 108, 124, 169, 182

Teal, 3, 64, 143, 171, 183 --cotton (_Nettopus coromandelianus_), 121, 135, 148 --garganey or blue-winged (_Querquedula circia_), 139, 159, 171 --whistling (_Dendocygna javanica_), 185

Tern, 57, 68, 142, 184 --black-bellied (_Sterna melanogaster_), 57 --river, (_Sterna seena_), 57

Thrush, blue rock (_Petrophila cyanus_), 192 --Himalayan whistling (_Myophoneus temmincki_), 193 --small-billed mountain (_Oreocincla dauma_), 192

Tit, green-backed (_Parus monticola_), 192

Vulture, 21, 159, 183 --Pondicherry or black (_Otogyps calvus_), 26, 44, 68, 88 --scavenger (_Neophron ginginianus_), 56, 68, 89 --white-backed (_Pseudogyps bengalensis_), 9, 68, 186, 193

Wagtail, 156, 157, 167, 172, 173, 182, 183, 184 --grey (_Motacilla melanope_), 158 --masked (_Motacilla personata_), 158 --pied (_Motacilla maderaspatensis_), 59, 65, 74, 89 --white (_Motacilla alba_), 158 --white-faced (_Motacilla leucopsis_), 158

Warbler, 139, 156, 181, 185, 191 --ashy wren (_Prinia socialis_), 124, 132, 142 --flycatcher (_Cryptolopha xanthoschista_), 192 --Indian wren (_Prinia inornata_), 48, 68, 108, 124, 131, 142 --reed (_Acrocephalus stentoreus_), 184

Water-hen, white-breasted (_Gallinula phoenicura_), 98, 124, 133, 146

Weaver-bird or baya (_Ploceus baya_), 114, 127, 142, 163, 176

Whimbrel, 184

White-eye (_Zosterops palpebrosa_), 5, 65, 71, 89, 108, 123, 180, 182, 185

Widgeon. _See_ Duck

Woodpecker, golden-backed (_Brachypternus aurantius_), 5, 53, 68, 89, 106, 108, 121, 182 --pied (_Liopicus mahrattensis_), 28, 44, 53, 68, 89, 182

Wood-shrike (_Tephrodornis pondicerianus_), 7, 32, 51, 65, 68, 89, 170, 182, 185

Wryneck, 182

ANIMALS OF NO IMPORTANCE BY DOUGLAS DEWAR

PRESS OPINIONS

_Nature_.--"We may commend the book as an excellent example of 'Nature teaching.'"

_Literary World_.--"Mr. Dewar makes us laugh while he teaches us.... These twenty essays are in all ways delightful."

_Saturday Review_.--"A number of excellent books on Natural History ... proceed from Anglo-Indian authors; and certainly this ... is worthy of its predecessors."

_Academy_.--"A chatty anecdote book ... showing a sense of humour and kindly insight ... many amusing stories."

_Indian Daily News_.--"Brightly and cleverly written ... pleasant and amusing reading."

_Morning Post_ (Delhi).--"A treasure-trove of literary art."

_Madras Mail_.--"Mr. Dewar ... displays quite remarkable knowledge and insight as well as a pretty wit.... Mr. Dewar's volume is calculated to give delight to all who are interested in the creatures of God's earth. Its humours will raise many a smile, while its keenness and accuracy of observation should induce many readers to study more closely the ... life ... around them."

_Civil and Military Gazette_.--"Shows the faculty of observation as well as a pleasant style."

_Englishman_.--"The reader will easily fall under the sway of the writer's charms.... Mr. Dewar's book is as interesting as it is entertaining."

BOMBAY DUCKS AN ACCOUNT OF SOME OF THE EVERYDAY BIRDS AND BEASTS FOUND IN A NATURALIST'S EL DORADO BY DOUGLAS DEWAR ILLUSTRATED BY MAJOR F. D. S. FAYRER

PRESS OPINIONS

_Standard_.--"The book is entertaining, even to a reader who is not a naturalist first and a reader afterwards.... The illustrations cannot be too highly praised."

_Daily News_.--"A charming introduction to a great many interesting birds."

_Scotsman_.--"Like a good curry, it is richly and agreeably seasoned with a pungent humour."

_Manchester Guardian_.--"A series of clever and accurate essays on Indian Natural History written by a man who really knows the birds and beasts."

_Daily Chronicle_.--"A series of informing and often diverting chapters."

_Tribune_.--"Those who know India ... will find themselves smiling again and again at the vivid recollection called up by these descriptions."

_Times_.--"A collection of bright popular papers by an observant naturalist."

_Pall Mall Gazette_.--"Most entertaining dissertations on the tricks and manners of many birds and beasts in India."

_Yorkshire Daily Observer_.--"This handsome and charming book ... the author has many interesting observations to record, and he does so in a very racy manner."

_Spectator_.--"Mr. Douglas Dewar's book is excellent ... the photographs of birds by Captain Fayrer ... are most remarkable."

_Graphic_.--"Light and easy, yet full of information."

_County Gentleman_.--"Thoroughly interesting."

_Illustrated London News_.--"Mr. Dewar ... has collected a series of essays on bird life which for sprightliness and charm are equal to anything written since that classic 'The Tribes on my Frontier' was published."

_Shooting Times_.--"... a more delightful work ... has not passed through our hands for many a long day.... There is not a dull line in the book, which is beautifully illustrated."

_Truth_.--"... a naturalist with a happy gift for writing in a bright and entertaining way, yet without any sacrifice of scientific accuracy."

_Outlook_.--"... the essays make pleasant reading.... We doubt if anything better has been done in bird photography."

_Pioneer_.--"... not only is the book very fascinating to read, but most instructive."

_Indian Daily News_.--"Mr. Dewar's excellent book ... beautifully illustrated."

_Indian Daily Telegraph_.--"Mr. Dewar's book is of the kind of delightful volume which is always to be kept at hand and dipped into."

_Madras Mail_.--"Phil Robinson delighted a generation that knew not 'Eha,' and now Mr. Dewar will complete a trio which, for some time to come at least, will stand for all that is best in that branch of literature which they have made their own."

_Civil and Military Gazette_.--"A volume which is far the best of its kind since the immortal works of Phil Robinson and 'Eha.'"

_The Indian Field_.--"... these charming chapters.... There is not a dull paragraph in the whole book."

BIRDS OF THE PLAINS BY DOUGLAS DEWAR

PRESS OPINIONS

_Daily Chronicle_.--"Here is a work worthy of all commendation to those who love birds."

_Daily Graphic_.--"... a work which all bird lovers will welcome ... beautifully illustrated."

_Daily Express_.--"... light, sprightly and thoroughly entertaining."

_Globe_.--"Mr. Dewar ... is gifted with the descriptive art in a high degree, and his vivacious style communicates the characters and habits of the birds with unerring fidelity and infinite spirit."

_Sportsman_.--"Mr. Dewar has a delightfully simple and quaintly humorous way of expressing himself, and his clever word-pictures of bird-life make charming reading."

_Manchester Guardian_.--"His breezy style is pleasant and easy reading. The photographs deserve the highest praise."

_Manchester Courier_.--"Mr. Dewar has produced a book that will delight not only ornithologists, but all who have the good fortune to light on this humorously instructive volume."

_Western Morning News_.--"The book is enjoyable from the playful preface to the last chapter."

_Spectator_.--"... the contents are excellent."

_Field_.--"... it may well stand on the same bookshelf with the entertaining and instructive writings of 'Eha.'"

_Madame_.--"... accounts of many birds written in the author's inimitable style."

_Outlook_.--"... as charming a volume--avowedly ornithological--as it has been our good fortune to encounter."

_Sunday Times_.--"Mr. Dewar, like Goldsmith, has a delightful style."

_Pall Mall Gazette_.--"Mr. Dewar's volume is one of the best recent examples of sound information conveyed in attractive literary form."

_Literary World_.--"Upon every page ... there is a merit to justify the existence of the page."

_Dundee Advertiser_.--"... just as good reading as ... 'Bombay Ducks,' and to say so much is to bestow high praise."

_Birmingham Post_.--"There is a gladness in his aspect, a pleasing inquisitiveness concerning bird mystery, and a simple, candid style of self-revelation in his essays full of fascination, with touches now and again that remind one of the descriptive qualities of Francis A. Knight. The wood-joy that inspired the felicitous phrases and delightful reflections of John Burroughs in the Western Hemisphere finds its counterpart in these Indian bird-pictures."

_Indian Field_.--"... not a volume that will grow dusty and uncared for on a neglected shelf."

_Times of India_.--"The book has a charm all its own, and is written with rare humour, a humour that in no way detracts from its scientific utility."

_Englishman_.--"One of the most interesting books on bird-life we have seen."

INDIAN BIRDS A KEY TO THE COMMON BIRDS OF THE PLAINS OF INDIA BY DOUGLAS DEWAR

PRESS OPINIONS

_Pall Mall Gazette_.--"This practical and useful work ... is a key to the everyday birds of the Indian plains, in which birds are classified according to their habits and outward differences ... and familiarity with these pages would enable the average man in a few weeks to know all the birds he meets in an Indian station."

_Daily Mail_.--"The plan of this clever little volume ... is as simple as it is ingenious.... It is a safe and thorough guide."

_Athenaeum_.--"Mr. Dewar is a capable guide."

_Manchester Guardian_.--"... new, original and invaluable to the beginner ... it is a small book, but it represents a wonderful amount of thoughtful ingenuity and patient work."

_Daily News_.--"We feel inclined to defy any Indian bird to hide its identity from an enquirer armed with this volume."

_Truth_.--"An admirable practical handbook of Indian ornithology."

_Scotsman_.--"Mr. Dewar's compact, clearly classified, concise and comprehensive manual ... cannot but prove eminently serviceable."

_Spectator_.--"The book is most carefully compiled and much ingenuity is displayed in framing this artificial analysis."

_Western Daily Mercury_.--"A very interesting volume."

_Manchester Courier_.--"All ornithologists in India ... will appreciate and value 'Indian Birds.'"

_Literary Post_.--"... a model of all that such a book should be."

_Pioneer_.--"The plan of the book is unique.... It can be heartily recommended."

_Indian Field_.--"We can thoroughly recommend this book to all not versed in ornithology and who wish to know our birds without having to kill them."

JUNGLE FOLK ACCOUNTS OF SOME OF THE SMALLER FRY OF THE INDIAN JUNGLE BY DOUGLAS DEWAR

PRESS OPINIONS

_Westminster Gazette_.--"Mr. Dewar writes brightly and cleverly about these lesser jungle folk."

_Scotsman_.--"... interesting and delightful."

_Evening Standard_.--"The author ... writes not only out of the fulness of his knowledge, but in a pleasant unpedantic style."

_Liverpool Daily Post_.--"... most readable and enjoyable."

_Sunday Times_.--"We give his book the highest praise possible when we say that it will serve as a matter-of-fact commentary to Mr. Kipling's 'Jungle Books.'"

_Irish Independent_.--"... a work of the most captivating charm."

_Outlook_.--"... pleasant little essays."

_Literary World_.--"This lively book ... abounds in word-pictures and happy humour."

_Glasgow Evening News_.--"Mr. Douglas Dewar writes with accustomed grace and sympathetic knowledge."

_Academy_.--"... with Mr. Dewar there is a smile on every page, and his touch is so light that one only realises, when the process is at an end, that a large amount of information has been imparted in an amusing form."

_Western Morning News_.--"Every page makes for easy reading and ready attention."

_Shooting Times_.--"... delightful reading."

_Catholic Herald_.--"Quite the most interesting natural history work we have seen for a long time."

_Manchester Courier_.--"Mr. Dewar's ... shrewd observation, his quaint humour and his wide knowledge of Indian bird-life make his every page interesting."

_The World_.--"We have read and enjoyed much of his work before, but we think that 'Jungle Folk' makes even more delightful reading than anything that has come from its author's pen."

_Birmingham Daily Post_.--"... entertaining sketches ... and light dissertations."

_Times of India_.--"Mr. Dewar's bright and pleasant pages."

_Madras Mail_.--"The reader who has perused Mr. Dewar's books merely for amusement will find that he has incidentally added a good deal to his knowledge of Indian natural history."

GLIMPSES OF INDIAN BIRDS BY DOUGLAS DEWAR

PRESS OPINIONS

_Globe_.--"Mr. Dewar gives us something more than 'glimpses' of Indian bird-life in his very interesting volume."

_Standard_.--"Not the least merit of the book is the author's unwillingness to take anything for granted."

_Spectator_.--"We know nothing better to recommend to an amateur ornithologist who finds himself in India for the first time."

_Guardian_.--"... vivid and delightful."

_Observer_.--"... full of special knowledge."

_Scotsman_.--"... a lively and interesting series of short studies."

_Daily Graphic_.--"The book is full of the right sort of information about birds."

_Field_.--"... chatty and graphically written."

_Daily Citizen_.--"... very pleasant and very instructive reading."

_The World_.--"We have read and enjoyed his earlier efforts, but we think that his latest will be found the most valuable and enduring of all his work."

_Pall Mall Gazette_.--"... much first-hand observation and experience."

_Birmingham Daily Post_.--"These ... 'glimpses' ... so full of alert observation and racy description, are delightful and informing reading."

_Newcastle Daily Chronicle_.--"... his accounts ... make us feel that we have been with him in something more than the spirit."

_Pioneer_.--"The charm of the volume ... lies in the evidence of the immense amount of observation carried out by the writer."

BIRDS OF INDIAN HILLS A GUIDE TO THE COMMON BIRDS OF THE INDIAN HILL STATIONS BY DOUGLAS DEWAR

PRESS OPINIONS

_Sunday Times_.--"Excellent is hardly good enough a term for this volume."

_Times_.--"Mr. Dewar writes accurately and vividly of his selected group of birds in the Himalayas and Nilgiris, and adds a list of those to be found in the Palni Hills."

_Field_.--"Mr. Dewar gives short descriptions of the most notable species, not in wearisome detail as affected by some writers, but in a few sentences which carry enough to enable the reader to recognise a bird when he sees it."

_Aviatic Review_.--"... a very useful, compact little volume."

_Pall Mall Gazette_.--"The book will appeal most of all to those who have occasion to visit Indian hill stations."

_Morning Post_.--"Now and again he gives us little pictures of bird-life, which are pleasant proofs that he is, like M. Fabre, a master of the new science that will not select the facts or distort them to suit some splendid generalisation."

THE MAKING OF SPECIES BY DOUGLAS DEWAR AND FRANK FINN _WITH NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS_ A BOOK THAT BRINGS DARWINISM UP TO DATE

PRESS OPINIONS

_Truth_.--"'The Making of Species' will do much to arrest the fossilisation of biological science in England."

_Outlook_.--"... a book of knowledge and originality. Messrs. Dewar and Finn are capable investigators. This work is thoroughly characteristic of our day. A long volume full of interest and very clearly written."

_Literary World_.--"The book is certainly to be welcomed for the concise way in which it deals with the greatest problem of zoology."

_Aberdeen Free Press_.--"The book is well written. We do not doubt that the work will produce good fruit and attract considerable attention."

_Daily Telegraph_.--"Interesting and suggestive. It should receive wide attention."

_Dublin Daily Express_.--"The merits of the book are undoubtedly great. We recommend it to the attentive study of all who are interested in the subject of evolution."

_Manchester Courier_.--"The amateur entering this perplexing field could hardly have a better guide."

_Nation_.--"An exceptionally interesting book."

_Scotsman_.--"Impartial and awakening."

_Bristol Mercury_.--"The authors ... handle a subject which has an obvious controversial side with strength, and there are convincing qualities as well as lucidity in the views so admirably set forth."

_Times_.--"The two authors ... deal suggestively with the difficulties of natural selection ... and their arguments are supported by a goodly array of facts."

_Liverpool Courier_.--"Contains a great deal of well-marshalled observation."

_Lancet_.--"A very interesting book ... simply and clearly written."

_Dundee Advertiser_.--"... a book which is at the same time one of the most interesting and readable on the controversial aspects of natural history published in recent years."

_The Christian World_.--"This very interesting work."

_Bristol Times_.--"A work of value, which will give occasion to many to think, and an admirable presentation of facts."

_Westminster Review_.--"... written in popular language and contains many original observations."

_Daily Chronicle_.--"An interesting and suggestive book."