Birds of the Plains

BULBULS

More than fifty species of bulbul are found in India—bulbuls of all sorts and conditions, of all shapes and sizes, from the brilliant green bulbuls (which, by the way, strictly speaking, are not bulbuls at all) to the dull-plumaged but blithe white-browed member of the community, so common in Madras; from the rowdy black bulbuls of the Himalayas to the highly respectable and well-behaved red-vented bulbuls. He who would write of them is thus confronted with an embarras de richesses. The problem that he has to solve is, which of the many species to take as his theme.

The polity of birds is said to be a republic. The problem may, therefore, well be elucidated on democratic principles. The first and foremost of these—the main plank of every demagogue’s platform—is, of course, “one bulbul, one vote.” The second is like unto the first, “every bulbul for itself.” Therefore, on being asked to elect a representative to be the subject-matter of this paper, each will vote for his own species, and the result of the poll will be: Bulbuls of the genus Molpastes first, those of the genus Otocompsa a good second, and the rest a long way behind. Let us then conform to the will of the majority and consider for a little these two species of bulbul, which resemble one another very closely in their habits.

Molpastes is a bird about half as big again as the sparrow, but with a longer tail. The whole head is black and marked by a short crest. There is a conspicuous crimson patch of feathers under the tail. The remainder of the plumage is brown, but each feather on the body is margined with creamy white, so that the bird is marked by a pattern that is, as “Eha” points out, not unlike the scales on a fish. Both ends of the tail feathers are whitish.

Otocompsa is a more showy bird. The crest is long and projects forward over the forehead. The crimson patch, so characteristic of bulbuls, also exists in this species. There is a similar patch on each side of the head—whence the bird’s name, the red-whiskered bulbul. There is also a white patch on each cheek. The white throat is separated from the whitish abdomen by a conspicuous dark brown necklace. This bird must be familiar to every one who has visited Coonoor or any other southern hill station. The less showy variety—the red-vented bulbul, as it is called—is common in and about Madras.

It will be noticed that I have refrained from giving any specific name to either of these two genera. This is due to the fact that these bulbuls are widely distributed and fall into a number of local races, each of which has some little peculiarity in colouring. For this reason, bulbuls are birds after the heart of the museum ornithologist. They afford him ample scope for species-making.

THE BENGAL RED-WHISKERED BULBUL. (OTOCOMPSA EMERIA)

If you go from Madras to the Punjab you will there meet with a bulbul which you will take for the same species as the bulbul you left behind in Madras. But if you look up the birds in an ornithological text-book you will find that they belong to different species. The Punjab bulbul is known as Molpastes intermedius, while the Madras bird is called M. hæmorrhous. The only difference in appearance between the two species is that in the Madras bird the black of the head does not extend to the neck, whereas in the Punjab bird it does. Similarly, there is a Burmese, a Tenasserim, a Chinese, and a Bengal red-vented bulbul.

Now, I regard all these different bulbuls as local races of one species, which might perhaps be called Molpastes indicus; and I think that I am justified in holding this view by the fact that the bulbuls you come across at Lucknow do not fit in with the description of any of these so-called species. The reason is that the Bengal and the Madras races meet at Lucknow, and of course interbreed. The result is a cross between the two races.

In addition to the above there are some Molpastes which have white cheeks and a yellow patch under the tail. In all, nine or ten Indian “species” of Molpastes have been described.

The same applies in a lesser degree to Otocompsa. This is a widely distributed species, but is not so plastic as Molpastes. There is the Bengal red-whiskered bulbul (Otocompsa emeria), which is distinguishable from the southern variety (O. fuscicaudata) by having white tips to the tail feathers, and the dark necklace interrupted in the middle. There is also an Otocompsa with a yellow patch under the tail.

This division of a species or genus into a number of races or nearly allied species is interesting as showing one of the ways in which new species arise in Nature quite independently of natural selection. It is unreasonable to suppose that the extension into the neck of the black of the head in the Punjab bulbul and its non-extension in the Madras bulbul are due to the action of natural selection in each locality, that a bulbul with black in its neck is unfitted for existence in Madras.

Whenever a group of animals becomes isolated from its fellows, it almost invariably develops peculiarities which are of no help to it in the struggle for existence. Thus isolation is the cause of the origin of dialects and languages. A dialect is an incipient language, even as a race is a potential species.

But let us return to our bulbuls. The habits of both Otocompsa and Molpastes are so similar that we can speak of them together. They are what Mr. Finn calls thoroughly nice birds. They are, none of them, great songsters, but all continually give forth exceedingly cheery notes. The twittering of the red-whiskered bulbuls is not the least of the charms of our southern hill stations.

Bulbuls feed on insects and berries, so are apt to be destructive in gardens. They built nests of the orthodox type—cups of the description always depicted on Christmas cards. These are built anywhere, without much attempt at concealment. Rose bushes are a favourite site, so are crotons, especially if they be in a verandah. A pair of bulbuls once built a nest in my greenhouse at Gonda. Among the fronds of a fern growing in a hanging basket did those unsophisticated birds construct that nest. Every time the fern was watered the sitting bird, nest, and eggs received a shower-bath!

Sometimes bulbuls do by chance construct their nest in a well-concealed spot, but then they invariably “give the show away” by setting up a tremendous cackling whenever a human being happens to pass by.

I have had the opportunity of watching closely the nesting operations of seven pairs of bulbuls; of these only one couple succeeded in raising their brood. The first of these nests was built in a croton plant in a verandah at Fyzabad. One day a lizard passed by and sucked the eggs. The next was the nest at Gonda already mentioned. In spite of the numerous waterings they received, the eggs actually yielded young bulbuls; but these disappeared when about four days old. The mali probably caused them to be gathered unto their fathers. The third nest was situated in a bush outside the drawing-room window of the house in which I spent a month’s leave at Coonoor. This little nursery was so well concealed that I expected the parents would succeed in rearing their young. But one morning I saw on the gravel path near the nest a number of tell-tale feathers. Puss had eaten mamma bulbul for breakfast! The fourth nest—but why should I detail these tragedies? Notwithstanding all their nesting disasters, bulbuls flourish so greatly as to severely shake one’s faith in the doctrine of natural selection.

In conclusion, a word or two must be said concerning bulbuls in captivity. These birds make charming pets, but as their diet is largely insectivorous, they cannot be fed on seed. They become delightfully tame. One I kept used to fly on to my shoulder whenever it saw me, and open its mouth, flutter its wings, and twitter, which was its way of asking to be fed. It would insist on using my pen as a perch, and as one’s handwriting is not improved by an excitable bulbul hopping up and down the penholder, I was obliged to shut the bird up in a cage when I wanted to write. The bulbul used to resent this, and did not hesitate to tell me so. In young birds the tail is very short, and the patch of feathers under it is pale red instead of being bright crimson.

Natives of India keep bulbuls for fighting purposes. These birds are not caged, but are tied to a cloth-covered perch by a long piece of fine twine attached to the leg. Bulbuls, although full of pluck, are not by nature quarrelsome. In order to make them fight they are kept without food for some time. Then two ravenous birds are shown the same piece of food. This, of course, leads to a fight, for a hungry bulbul is an angry bulbul.

THE INDIAN CORBY

I have never been able to discover why the great black crow (Corvus macrorhynchus), so common in India, is called the jungle-crow. It is, indeed, true that the corby is found in the jungle, but it is found everywhere else in most parts of India, and is certainly abundant in villages and towns, being in some places quite as much a house bird as its smaller cousin, the grey-necked crow.

Considering the character of the larger species and its extensive distribution, one hears remarkably little about it. The explanation is, of course, that the house-crow absorbs all the attention that man has to bestow upon the sable-plumaged tribe. The prevailing opinion seems to be that the black crow is merely a mild edition, a feeble imitation of, a scoundrel of lesser calibre than, its smaller cousin, Corvus splendens, and, therefore, everything that applies to the house-crow applies in a lesser degree to the big-billed bird. This is, I submit, a mistaken view, the result of imperfect observation. Corvus macrorhynchus has an individuality of his own, and we do him scant justice in dismissing him with a short paragraph at the foot of a lengthy description of Corvus splendens.

In saying this, I feel that I am speaking as one having authority, and not as the Scribes and Pharisees, whose zoological horizon coincides with the limits of the museum. For a period of eighteen months I lived in a station which should be renamed and called Crowborough. To assert that the place in question swarms with crows is, of course, to assert nothing, for it shares this feature with every other place in India. The point I desire to bring out clearly is that in this particular place the black crows are nearly as numerous as the grey-necked birds. The former are certainly in a minority, but their minority is, like Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman’s in the previous House of Commons, a large one, and what they lack in numbers they make up in weight and beak-force. It was truly delightful to watch them lord it over the grey-necked birds. Grammarians will observe that I here use the past tense. This is a point of some importance. Just as it is impossible to properly estimate the character of an eminent man during his lifetime, so is it to form a proper opinion of the personality and behaviour of a species of crow while one is in the midst of that species, while one is subjected to the persecutions, the annoyances, and the insults to which it thinks fit to treat one.

But I am now far away from Crowborough, and I may never again return thither. As I sit upon the Irish shore and see the blue waters of the North Atlantic roll softly up against the black rocks of Antrim, I feel that I am in a position to form a true estimate of the character of Corvus macrorhynchus.

Until I went to Crowborough I laboured under the delusion that the grey-necked crow knew not the meaning of the word “respect.” The deference with which the big-beaked species is treated by his smaller cousin came as a complete surprise to me.

Most Anglo-Indians are so embittered against the whole tribe of the corvi that they will on no account feed them. I do not share this prejudice. I am able to see things from the corvine point of view. Were I a crow I should most certainly consider man fair game.

While in Crowborough I invariably gave the surplus of my tiffin to the crows. Those in the locality of my office window did not take long to find this out. The grey-necked crows were the first to make the discovery. It takes these less time to put two and two together than it does the more sluggish-brained black crows. At the end of a few days quite half-a-dozen grey-necked fellows had learned to hang about my windows at the luncheon hour. They used to sit in a row along each window-ledge. One day a corby appeared upon the scene. His arrival was the signal for the departure of his grey-necked brethren. From that day onwards he regarded that ledge as his special preserve, and whenever a house-crow ventured on to the ledge he “went for” it savagely with his great beak. The intruder never waited long enough to enable him to get a blow home. Thus the hunting-ground of the grey-necked crows became restricted to one of the window-ledges.

In order to tease the black fellow I used sometimes to throw all the food to the window in which the grey crows were perched. He would fly round and drive them off that ledge and then give me a bit of his mind! Later on he introduced his wife. She took possession of one window and he of the other; so that the poor house-crows no longer had “a look in.” Some of the bolder spirits among them used certainly to settle on the shutters in hopes of catching a stray crumb, but none durst venture on to the ledge while a black crow was there.

Upon one occasion I put a whole milk pudding upon the ledge; the corbies would not allow the house-crows so much as a peck at the dainty dish until they themselves had had their fill.

Every one knows that the grey-necked crows, when harassing a creature more powerful than themselves, work in concert. It is my belief that two of these birds acting together are more than a match for any other creature. The way in which a pair of them will, by alternate feint and attack, take food away from a great kite or a dog is truly admirable. But so great is the respect of the grey-necked crows for the corby that I have never seen them attack him in this way. This says volumes for the force of character of Corvus macrorhynchus. He is quite an Oliver Cromwell among birds. He is a dour, austere, masterful, selfish bird—a bird which it is impossible to like or to despise.

When he has once made up his mind to do anything there is no deterring him from the accomplishment thereof. Early in the year one of these birds spent at least the greater part of a day in trying to secure for its nest one of the twigs in a little circular fence erected for the protection of a young tree. The fence in question was composed of leafless branches, interlaced and tied together. One of these twigs, being loose at one end, was pounced upon by a black crow who intended to carry it to his or her nest. But the other end was securely fastened. I watched that crow at intervals for several hours. Whenever I looked it was grappling in vain with the refractory twig. The work was, it is true, frequently interrupted, for natives kept passing by. But immediately the human being had gone, the crow resumed the attack. Every now and again it would fly to a dust-bin hard by and alight on the rim in order to take a breather. Occasionally it would dive into that bin in order to secure the wherewithal to feed the inner crow. It would then return to work like a giant refreshed.

I am of opinion that that dust-bin was to the crow what the public-house is to the British working man.

APPENDIX

A LIST OF THE BIRDS WHICH HAVE BEEN RECORDED BOTH IN THE BRITISH ISLES AND IN INDIA

1. Corvus corax. The Raven.
2. Corvus corone. The Carrion Crow.
3. Corvus frugilegus. The Rook.
4. Corvus comix. The Hooded Crow.
5. Corvus monedula. The Jackdaw.
6. Graculus eremita. The Red-billed Chough.
7. Pyrrhocorax alpinus. The Yellow-billed Chough.
8. Pica rustica. The Magpie.
9. Regulus cristatus. The Goldcrest.
10. Lanius collurio. The Red-backed Shrike.
11. Ampelis garrulus. The Waxwing.
12. Oriolus galbula. The Golden Oriole.
13. Pastor roseus. The Rose-coloured Starling.
14. Siphia parva. The European Red-breasted Flycatcher.
15. Muscicapa grisola. The Spotted Flycatcher.
16. Geocichla sibirica. The Siberian Ground Thrush.
17. Monticola saxatilis. The Rock Thrush.
18. Saxicola aenanthe. The Wheatear.
19. Cyanecula wolfi. The White spotted Bluethroat.
20. Turdus viscivorus. The Missel Thrush.
21. Turdus pilaris. The Fieldfare.
22. Turdus iliacus. The Redwing.
23. Linota cannabina. The Linnet.
24. Passer montanus. The Tree Sparrow.
25. Passer domesticus. The House Sparrow.
26. Emberiza schoeniclus. The Reed Bunting.
27. Emberiza pusilla. The Dwarf Bunting.
28. Emberiza hortulana. The Ortolan Bunting.
29. Emberiza melanocephala. The Black-headed Bunting
30. Fringilla montifringilla. The Brambling.
31. Alauda arvensis. The Skylark.
32. Calandrella brachydactyla. The Short-toed Lark.
33. Galerita cristata. The Crested Lark.
34. Anthus trivialis. The Tree Pipit.
35. Anthus richardi. Richard’s Pipit.
36. Anthus campestris. The Tawny Pipit.
37. Anthus spinoletta. The Water Pipit.
38. Anthus pratensis. The Meadow Pipit.
39. Hirundo rustica. The Swallow.
40. Cotile riparia. The Sand Martin.
41. Chelidon urbica. The Martin.
42. Motacilla alba. The White Wagtail.
43. Motacilla melanope. The Grey Wagtail.
44. Motacilla borealis. The Grey-headed Wagtail.
45. Motacilla flava. The Blue-headed Wagtail.
46. Iynx torquilla. The Wryneck.
47. Merops phillippinus. The Blue-tailed Bee-eater.
48. Merops apiaster. The European Bee-eater.
49. Upupa epops. The Hoopoe.
50. Coracias garrula. The European Roller.
51. Cypselus alpinus. The Alpine Swift.
52. Cypselus apus. The European Swift.
53. Caprimulgus europaeus. The European Nightjar.
54. Strix flammea. The Barn Owl.
55. Scops giu. The Scops Owl.
56. Asio otus. The Long-eared Owl.
57. Asio accipitrinus. The Short-eared Owl.
58. Bubo ignavus. The Eagle Owl.
59. Nyctea scandiaca. The Snowy Owl.
60. Alcedo ispida. The Common Kingfisher.
61. Cuculus canorus. The Cuckoo.
62. Gyps fulvus. The Griffon Vulture.
63. Neophron percnopterus. The Egyptian Vulture.
64. Milvus migrans. The Black Kite.
65. Haliaetus albicilla. The White-tailed Sea Eagle.
66. Pandion haliaetus. The Osprey.
67. Accipiter nisus. The Sparrow Hawk.
68. Astur palumbarius. The Goshawk.
69. Aquila chrysætus. The Golden Eagle.
70. Aquila maculata. The Large Spotted Eagle.
71. Buteo desertorum. The Common Buzzard.
72. Circus cineraceus. Montagu’s Harrier.
73. Circus cyaneus. The Hen Harrier.
74. Circus aeruginosus. The Marsh Harrier.
75. Elanus caeruleus. The Black-winged Kite.
76. Falco peregrinus. The Peregrine Falcon.
77. Falco subbuteo. The Hobby.
78. Aesalon regulus. The Merlin.
79. Tinnunculus alaudaris. The Kestrel.
80. Tinnunculus cenchris. The Lesser Kestrel.
81. Columbia livia. The Blue Rock Pigeon.
82. Turtur communis. The Turtle Dove.
83. Coturnix communis. The Quail.
84. Rallus aquaticus. The Water-Rail.
85. Crex pratensis. The Corn Crake.
86. Porzana parva. The Little Crake.
87. Porzana maruetta. The Spotted Crake.
88. Fulica atra. The Coot.
89. Gallinula chloropus. The Moorhen.
90. Grus communis. The Crane.
91. Anthropoides virgo. The Demoiselle Crane.
92. Otis tarda. The Great Bustard.
93. Otis tetrax. The Little Bustard.
94. Oedicnemus scolopa. The Stone Curlew.
95. Glareola pratincola. The Pratincole.
96. Cursorius gallicus. The Cream-coloured Courser.
97. Strepsilas interpres. The Turnstone.
98. Charadrius fulvus. The Eastern Golden Plover.
99. Charadrius pluvialis. The Golden Plover.
100. Vanellus vulgaris. The Lapwing.
101. Squatarola helvitica. The Grey Plover.
102. Aegialitis alexandrina. The Kentish Plover.
103. Aegialitis dubia. The Little Ringed Plover.
104. Aegialitis hiaticula. The Ringed Plover.
105. Haematopus ostralegus. The Oystercatcher.
106. Himantopus candidus. The Black-winged Stilt.
107. Limosa belgica. The Black-tailed Godwit.
108. Limosa lapponica. The Bar-tailed Godwit.
109. Numenius arquata. The Curlew,
110. Numenius phaeopus. The Whimbrel.
111. Recurvirostra avocetta. The Avocet.
112. Totanus hypoleucus. The Common Sandpiper.
113. Totanus glareola. The Wood Sandpiper.
114. Totanus ochropus. The Green Sandpiper.
115. Totanus calidris. The Redshank.
116. Totanus fuscus. The Spotted Redshank.
117. Totanus glottis. The Greenshank.
118. Tringa minuta. The Little Stint.
119. Tringa temmincki. Temminck’s Stint.
120. Tringa subarquata. The Curlew Stint.
121. Tringa alpina. The Dunlin.
122. Tringa platyrhyncha. The Broad-billed Stint.
123. Calidris arenaria. The Sanderling.
124. Pavoncella pugnax. The Ruff.
125. Phalaropus hyperboreus. The Red-necked Phalarope.
126. Phalaropus fulicarius. The Grey Phalarope.
127. Scolopax rusticula. The Woodcock.
128. Gallinago coelestis. The Common Snipe.
129. Gallinago gallinula. The Jack Snipe.
130. Larus ichthyaetus. The Great Black-billed Gull.
131. Larus ridibundus. The Laughing Gull.
132. Larus affinis. The Dark-backed Herring Gull.
133. Hydrochelidon hybrida. The Whiskered Tern.
134. Hydrochelidon leucoptera. The White-winged Black Tern.
135. Sterna angelica. The Gull-billed Tern.
136. Sterna cantiaca. The Sandwich Tern.
137. Sterna fluviatilis. The Common Tern.
138. Sterna dougalli. The Roseate Tern.
139. Sterna minuta. The Little Tern.
140. Sterna fuliginosa. The Sooty Tern.
141. Hydroprogne caspia. The Caspian Tern.
142. Stercorarius crepidatus. Richardson’s Skua.
143. Stercorarius pomatorhinus. The Pomatorhine Skua.
144. Oceanites oceanicus. Wilson’s Petrel.
145. Anous stolidus. The Noddy.
146. Phalacrocorax carbo. The Cormorant.
147. Platalea leucorodia. The Spoonbill.
148. Nycticorax griseus. The Night Heron.
149. Ardea manillensis. The Purple Heron.
150. Ardea cinerea. The Common Heron.
151. Herodias alba. The Large Egret.
152. Herodias garzetta. The Little Egret.
153. Bulbulcus coromnandus. The Cattle Egret.
154. Ardetta minuta. The Little Bittern.
155. Ciconia alba. The White Stork.
156. Ciconia nigra. The Black Stork.
157. Plegadis falcinellus. The Glossy Ibis.
158. Phoenicopterus roseus. The Flamingo.
159. Cygnus olor. The Mute Swan.
160. Cygnus musicus. The Whooper.
161. Anser ferus. The Grey-lag Goose.
162. Anser albifrons. The White-fronted Goose.
163. Anser erythropus. The Lesser White-fronted Goose.
164. Anser brachyrhynchus. The Pink-footed Goose.
165. Tadorna cornuta. The Sheld-Duck.
166. Casarca rutila. The Brahminy Duck.
167. Mareca penelope. The Widgeon.
168. Anas boscas. The Mallard.
169. Chaulelasmus streperus. The Gadwall.
170. Nyroca ferruginea. The White-eyed Duck.
171. Nyroca ferina. The Pochard.
172. Nyroca marila. The Scaup.
173. Nyroca fuligula. The Tufted Duck.
174. Netta rufina. The Red-crested Pochard.
175. Dafila acuta. The Pintail.
176. Clangula glaucion. The Golden-Eye.
177. Spatula clypeata. The Shoveller.
178. Querquedula urcia. The Garganey Teal.
179. Nettium crecca. The Common Teal.
180. Podiceps cristatus. The Great Crested Grebe.
181. Podiceps nigricollis. The Eared Grebe.
182. Mergus albellus. The Smew.
183. Merganser castor. The Goosander.
184. Merganser serrator. The Red-breasted Merganser.

GLOSSARY

Babul. Acacia arabica. A thorny tree.

Badmash. A bad character, a ruffian.

Barsath. Rain.

Bhabar. The waterless tract of forest-clad land between the Himalayas and the Terai. It is from ten to fifteen miles in breadth and higher than the general level of the plains.

Chaprassi. Lit. a badgeman. A servant who runs messages, an orderly.

Chik. A number of thin pieces of bamboo strung together to form a curtain. Thin chiks are usually hung in front of doors in India with the object of keeping out flies but not air. Chiks of stouter make are hung from the verandah in order to keep out the sun.

Chit. Short for Chitti, a letter or testimonial.

Coolie. An unskilled labourer.

Dhak. Butea frondosa. A common tree in low jungle.

Dhobi. Washerman.

Dirzie. Tailor.

Farash. Tamarix indica.

Gali galoj. Abuse.

Jhil. A lake, broad tank, or any natural depression which is filled with rain water at certain seasons or permanently.

Kankar, or Kunkar. Lumps of limestone with which roads are metalled in Northern India.

Kannaut. The sides of a tent.

Khansamah. Cook.

Khud. A deep valley.

Mali. Gardener.

Murghi. Barndoor Fowl.

Neem. Azadirachta melia, a common tree in India.

Paddy. Growing rice.

Puggarree. A turban.

Ryot. A cultivator, small farmer.

Sal. The iron-wood tree (Shorea robusta).

Sahib. Master, sir, gentleman; a term used to denote a European.

Shikar. Hunting or shooting.

Shikari. (1) The man who goes hunting or shooting. (2) The native who accompanies him and directs the beat.

Terai. Lit. “Moist land.” A marshy tract of land about twelve miles broad, between the Bhabar and the plains proper. It is low-lying.

Tiffin. Lunch.

Topi. A sun-helmet.

With the exception of British Birds in the Plains of India, which appeared in The Civil and Military Gazette, and The Indian Corby, Birds in the Rain, and Do Animals Think? which came out in The Times of India, the articles which compose this book made their debût in one or other of the following papers: The Madras Mail, The Indian Field, The Englishman.

The author takes this opportunity of thanking the editors of the above-named newspapers for permission to reproduce these essays.

INDEX

A · B · C · D · E · F · G · H · I · J · K · L · M · N · O · P · Q · R · S · T · U · V · W · X · Y · Z

A
Acridotheres tristis, 94
Adjutant, 29-35
Aitken, Mr. Benjamin, 165
Aitken, Mr. E. H., 100, 164
Alauda arvensis, 5
Alauda gulgula, 5
Alcedo ispida, 5
Amadavat, 17, 20, 46-51, 52, 165
Anderson, Mr. A., 126
Aquila chrysætus, 175
Aquila vindhiana, 175
Arachnechthra asiatica, 79, 80
Arachnechthra lotenia, 79
Arachnechthra zeylonica, 80
Ardea cinerea, 6
Ardeola grayii, 115
Argya caudata, 127
Athene brama, 24, 142
Automata, birds as, 104-110
Avicultural Society’s Magazine, 74

B
Babbler, 181
Babbler, common, 127
Babbler, striated bush-, 127
Barnes, 74
Baya, 183-189, 219, 221
Bee-eater, blue-tailed, 212
Bee-eater, little green, 208-212
Bingham, Major C.T., 210
Biology, dogmatism of, 129
Blackbird, 1, 107
Blackwell, Mr., 110
Blanford, 203
“Blue Jay,” 10-15, 84
Blyth, 30
Bonelli’s eagle, 175
Bottle bird, 185
Brachypternus aurantius, 86
Brain-fever bird, 117
Bulbul, 1, 166, 229-234
Bulbul, black, 229
Bulbul, green, 229
Bulbul, red-vented, 229-234
Bulbul, red-whiskered, 228-234
Bulbul, white-browed, 229
Burroughs, Mr. John, 213
Butcher bird, 163-167
Butler, Colonel, 211
Buzzard, 6
Buzzard, white-eyed, 176

C
Caccabis chucar, 89
Centropus phasianus, 207
Cercomela fusca, 130
Chaffinch, 1
Chambers’s Journal, 30
Character, bird of, 94-98
Chick, 113
Chicken, 113, 116
Chukor, 89, 90
Cobbler, 62
Colouration, protective, 59, 128
Columba intermedia, 6
Columba livia, 6
Coot, 14
Coracias indica, 12, 54
Corby, Indian, 235-239
Corvus, 112, 142, 145, 147, 176, 237
Corvus corax, 4
Corvus lawrencii, 4
Corvus macrorhynchus, 235, 236, 238
Corvus splendens, 5, 111, 176, 235
Coturnix communis, 7
Cowper, 92
Craftsmen, a couple of neglected, 219-223
Cranes, 35-37
Crow, 5, 24-26, 30, 40, 68, 95, 106, 111-115, 118-123, 142, 144, 145-149, 175, 176, 179, 180, 184, 190, 191, 197, 213, 214, 235-239
Cuckoo, 9, 24, 107, 108, 117, 118, 120
Cuckoo, drongo-, 202-207
Cuckoo, playing, 111-116, 133
Cullen, Rev. C. D., 165
Cunningham, Colonel, 31, 32, 118, 164, 184, 190
Cypselus affinis, 101
Cypselus batassiensis, 101

D
Darwin, Charles, 158, 160
Darwinian theory, 23, 129
Davison, 74, 203
Deceiver, gay, 202-207
Dendrocita rufa, 68
Dicrurus, 203
Did-he-do-it, 56-61
Difficulties of bird photography, 225
Dimorphism, sexual, 80, 81, 128, 156
Dog, 215, 216
Dogmatism of biology, 129
Don Quixote, 31
Dove, 12, 124-129
Dove, little brown, 124-134
Dove, red turtle, 128, 129
Dove, ring-, 124-129
Dove, spotted, 124-129
Dragon-fly, 181
Drongo,139
Drongo-cuckoo, 202-207
Duck, 8, 168, 169

E
Eagle, 54, 173-177
Eagle, Bonelli’s, 175, 177
Eagle, golden, 175
Eagle, tawny, 176, 177
Edible birds’ nests, 102
“Eha,” 29, 48, 57, 131, 220, 230
Endynamis honorata, 111, 117

F
Falcon, 6, 54
Fauna of British India, 158
Feminine selection, 160
Finn, Mr. Frank, 75, 232
Firefly, 188, 189
Flycatcher, paradise, 13, 81, 150-162
Flycatcher, white-browed fantailed, 146, 158
Fowl’s egg, 113, 114
Fox, 54
Francolinus pondicerianus, 90
Fulica atra, 5

G
Gadwall, 8, 171
Galerita cristata, 7
Gallinago coelestis, 8
Gallinago gallinula, 8
Godwin, Earl, 169
Goose, grey-lag, 8
Grackle, 98
Grahame, 92
Green parrot, 88, 190-196, 197
Grey partridge, 90-93
Grouse, 93
Grouse, red, 1
Guinea-fowl, 93

H
Halcyon smyrnensis, 4
Harper’s Magazine, 213
Harrier, hen, 6
Harrier, marsh, 6
Hawk-cuckoo, 117
Hawkes, Mr. S. M., 172
Hawk, sparrow-, 6
Headley, Mr. F. W., 54
Heron, 6
Herrick, Mr. F. H., 225, 226, 227
Hewer of wood, 84
Hieraëtus fasciatus, 175
Hierococcyx varius, 117
Hill-myna, 98
Home Life of Birds, 225
Homer, 57
Homo sapiens, 140
Honeysucker, 78-83, 166
Hoopoe, 14, 84, 182
Hornbill, 166
House martin, 110
Hudson, Mr. W. H., 107, 108
Hume, 18, 74, 129, 137, 189, 193
Humming-bird, 78
Hutton, Captain, 192

I
Instinct, 27, 107, 109, 121: — maternal, 110; — parasitic, 120, 121; — parental, 27, 104
Isolation, 232

J
Jackdaw, 4, 5
Jay, blue, 10-15, 84
Jerdon, 38, 69, 70, 74, 137, 140, 164, 175, 183, 188, 210
Jesse, 222
Jungle crow, 235-239

K
Kearton, Mr. R., 105, 106
Kestrel, 6, 175
King-crow, 12, 40, 138, 139, 203-207
Kingfisher, 3, 144
Kingfisher, white-breasted, 4, 86
Kipling, Lockwood, 31, 91
Kite, 12, 106, 144-149, 166, 175, 177
Koel, 111-115

L
Lal munia, 46
Lanius lahtora, 165
Lanius vittatus, 163, 165
Lapwing, 166
Lapwing, red-wattled, 56-61
Lapwing, yellow-wattled, 57
Larder, shrike’s, 163-165
Lark, crested, 7
Legge, 74
Leptoptilus dubius, 29
Leptoptilus javanicus, 34
Lilford, Lord, 143
Lobivanellus goensis, 56
Lockwood Kipling, 31, 91

M
Magpie, 68-72
Magpie-robin, 84
Mallard, 8
Malvolio, 31
Martin, 100, 110
Merlin, 6
Merops, emerald, 208-212
Merops philippinus, 212
Merops viridis, 208-212
Milk, pigeon’s, 131
Minah, brahminy, 166
Minivet, 161
Molpastes, 229-234
Molpastes hæmorrhous, 231
Molpastes indicus, 231
Molpastes intermedius, 231
Monarch, dethroned, 173-177
Motacilla maderaspatensis, 26
Munia, red, 45-51
Munia, spotted, 52-55
Myna, 1, 40, 84, 86, 94-98, 181, 197

N
Natural Selection, 23, 24, 42, 105, 109, 129, 202-207, 232, 234
Neo-Darwinian School, 124, 128
Nest, sanitation of, 224
Nests, birds in their, 224-228
Nests, edible birds’, 102
Newman, Mr. T. H., 75
Nutmeg bird, 52-55

O
Oates, 158
Œnopopelia tranquebarica, 128
Oriole, black-headed, 135
Oriole, Indian, 13, 134-139
Oriolus kundoo, 135
Oriolus melanocephalus, 135
Orthotomus, 222
Orthotomus sutorius, 62-67, 219
Otocompsa, 229-34
Otocompsa emeria, 231
Otocompsa fuscicaudata, 231
Owl, barn, 3, 140-144
Owl, screech, 144
Owl, white, 141, 142
Owlet, spotted, 94, 142

P
Paddy bird, 115, 116
Palæornis nepalensis, 194
Palæornis torquatus, 194
Palm swift, 101
Paradise flycatcher, 13, 81, 150-162
Parakeet, 1
Parental instinct, 27, 104
Paroquet, Alexandrine, 194
Paroquet, rose-ringed, 194
Parrot, 95, 184
Parrot catching, 194
Parrot, green, 88, 166, 190-196, 197
Parrot, West African, 195
Partridge, grey, 90-93, 166
Passer domesticus, 2, 75, 76
Peacock, 42-44
Peafowl, 93
Pearson, Professor, 42, 44
Peregrine falcon, 6
Pericrocotus peregrinus, 161
Pheasant, 92, 144
Photography, difficulties of bird, 225
Pica rustica, 68
Pie, tree, 68-72
Pigeon, 6, 133, 134, 184
Pintail, 8
Pinto, Mr. G. A., 63, 64, 66, 158
Pipit, 7
Playing cuckoo, 111-116
Ploceus baya, 183, 219
Plover, Kentish, 9
Plover, ringed, 9
Pochard, white-eyed, 171
Prinia inornata, 219
Prinia socialis, 222
Protective colouration, 59, 93, 128

Q
Quail, 7, 93

R
Rain, birds in the, 178-182
Raven, 3, 4
Red munia, 46-51, 52-54
Redshank, 9
Reid, 74, 222
Rhipidura albifrontata, 146, 158
Robin, Indian, 128
Robin redbreast, 1, 107
Rock chat, brown, 130
Roller, 12
Rook, 4, 5

S
Salvadori, 74
Sandpiper, 9
Sanyal, Babu, 38, 39
Sarciophorus malabaricus, 57
Sarcogrammus indicus, 56
Sarus, 35-39
Selection, feminine, 160, 161
Selection, natural, 23, 24, 42, 105, 109, 129, 202-207, 232, 234
Selection, sexual, 42, 160, 161, 205-207
“Seven sisters,” 1
Sexual dimorphism, 80, 81, 128, 156
Sexual selection, 42, 160, 161, 205-207
Shikra, 175
Shrike, 164-167
Shrike, bay-backed, 165
Shrike, Indian grey-backed, 165
Shrike, rufous-backed, 165
Shoveller, 8
Sisters, seven, 1
Skylark, 5
Skylark, Indian, 5
Smell, sense of, in birds, 123
Smith, Mr. Bosworth, 141
Snipe, full, 8
Snipe, Jack, 8
Sparrow, 2, 3, 16-22, 75, 76, 143, 197-201
Sparrow, hedge, 185
Sparrow-hawk, 6, 166, 175, 200
Spectator, 168, 169
Spice bird, 52-55
Sporæginthus amandava, 46
Spotted-bill duck, 171
Spotted owlet, 94
Sprinter, feathered, 89-94
Stability of species, 40-45
Starling, 88, 106
Stint, 9
Stork, 35, 36
Strix flammea, 3, 141
Strix javanica, 141
Sunbird, 78-83
Surniculus lugubris, 202-207
Swallow, 84, 99, 100
Swift, 84, 99-103

T
Tailor-bird, 62-67, 137, 219
Teal, 8
Terminology, ornithological, 73
Terpsiphone paradisi, 81, 156
Tetrao scoticus, 1
Thamnobia cambayensis, 128, 130
Think, Do animals? 213-218
Thirst of young birds, assuaging of, 225-228
Thorndike, Professor, 214
Thrush, 1, 105, 106
Tit, blue, 1
Tragedy, tree-top, 145-149
Tree creeper, 84
Turkey, 93
Turtle dove, red, 128
Turtur cambayensis, 125
Turtur decaocta, 74, 75
Turtur risorius, 74, 75, 124
Turtur suratensis, 124

U
Uroloncha pundulata, 52

V
Vidal, 74
Vulture, 175

W
Wagtail, 7
Wagtail, pied, 26, 27, 180
Wallace, 161
Warbler, 219, 220
Weaver-bird, 137, 183-189, 219
“White ant,” 182
White-breasted kingfisher, 4, 86
Widgeon, 8
Woodpecker, golden-backed, 84-88
Wren, 1, 219
Wren-warbler, ashy, 222, 223
Wren-warbler, Indian, 219-222
Wryneck, 84