96. Anthus rufulus: The Indian Pipit, or the Indian Tit-Lark. (F. 847), (J. 600), (I.)
This is scarcely distinguishable from the last species (95). It has a somewhat longer bill and longer legs. The claw of its hind toe is much longer than that of A. maculatus, but this cannot be seen unless the bird be held in the hand. This species is found all over India. Thus in N. India in winter a bird answering to this description may be either species, and it is only safe to set it down as a “pipit.”
Larks are so like pipits that it is not easy to distinguish between them without capturing them. (Illus. F. II., p. 315.)
97. Alauda gulgula: The Indian Skylark. (F. 861), (J. 767), (+I.)
This is very like the above two pipits in appearance, but there is a good deal more white in the tail. Except for its somewhat smaller size it is indistinguishable from the English skylark, and all books on Indian ornithology state that this bird soars up into the heavens and pours forth its song just as the lark does in England. I must confess that this is not my experience. I have never seen this species soar in the middle of the day, or at any time save the very early morning.
This is a permanent resident and builds a nest on the ground like that of the common skylark.
98. Alaudula raytal: The Ganges Sand-lark. (F. 866), (J. 762), (-I.)
This is distinguishable from the skylark by its smaller size and its white under plumage.
It is a permanent resident, but is confined to the sandy beds of the rivers of N. India. It runs about near the edge of the water.
These are distinguished by having no white in the tail. They frequently perch in bushes or low trees, whence they sometimes take short flights in the air.
99. Mirafra assamica: The Bengal Bush-lark. (F. 870), (J. 754), (I.)
Found in U. P., Bengal, and Assam.
The common Bush Lark of the U.P. is not the Bengal but the Red-winged Bush Lark (Mirafra erythroptera) (F. 871) (J. 756) (-I). This is smaller than the Bengal species and the brown of its upper plumage is tinged with red.
100. Mirafra affinis: The Madras Bush-lark. (F. 872), (J. 755), (I.)
Found in S. India. It is common in Guindy Park.
These are readily distinguished by the sharp-pointed crest which projects backwards and upwards from the back of the head. They sing well and have habits very similar to those of the skylark. No white in the tail.
101. Galerita cristata: The Crested Lark. (F. 874), (J. 769), (+I.)
Punjab and U. P., where it is abundant. Very common at Lahore.
102. Galerita deva: Sykes’s Crested Lark. (F. 875), (J. 765), (I.)
U. P., Rajputana, and C. I.
103. Galerita malabarica: The Malabar Crested Lark. (F. 876), (J. 768), (+I.)
Bombay and Travancore.
These are easily recognised by their curious habit of flying some twenty or thirty feet into the air, then closing their wings and dropping to the ground. As they descend they utter a curious note. They are dumpy little birds and do not look as large as their measurements.
104. Ammomanes phœnicura: The Rufous-tailed Finch-Lark. (F. 877), (J. 758), (I.)
A dark brown bird, with dark red on the lower back and tail.
It is found chiefly in Central India in Bombay. In Sind and the Punjab it is replaced by A. phœnicuroides (the Desert Finch-Lark). Not found in Madras.
105. Pyrrhulauda grisea: The Ashy-crowned Finch-Lark. (F. 879), (J. 760), (-I.)
This is the common Finch-Lark of India, being a permanent resident everywhere, except the N.W. F. P., Eastern Bengal, Assam, and Burma.
Cock: Upper parts dark ashy grey. Streak through the eye and all the lower plumage black, cheeks and sides of breast white, so that, as Eha points out, the black on the throat takes the form of a cross. [This very unusual colouring, i.e. darker below than above, renders the cock easy to identify.]
Hen: The parts that are black in the cock are reddish brown. (Illus. B. B., p. 142.)
These charming little birds are easy to identify. They are the Old World counterparts of the humming birds of the New World. The hens are inconspicuous little brown birds with yellow under parts, but the cocks wear a gay livery. They build large hanging nests, composed of dried grass, leaves, etc., held together by cobweb, so that they look, from a little distance, like hanging masses of rubbish. Close inspection shows that the nest is pear-shaped, with a circular entrance at one side and a little porch over the entrance. The nests are found in gardens, being sometimes suspended from the roof of the verandah.
These birds feed largely on the nectar of flowers, which they abstract by means of their long tubular tongues. In order to obtain the honey they frequently hover on rapidly-vibrating wings, like humming birds.
106. Arachnechthra lotenia: Loten’s Sunbird. (F. 894), (J. 235), (-I.)
Cock: The whole plumage is dark metallic purple, looking black in some lights, but in the sun’s rays it displays a green or lilac sheen. The beak is long and curved.
Hen: Upper plumage earthy brown, lower plumage very pale yellow.
Found only in S. India. Very common in Madras. (Illus. B. P., pp. 78, 82, and 90.)
107. Arachnechthra asiatica: The Purple Sunbird. (F. 895), (J. 234), (-I.)
Cock: Very like A. lotenia, but this species is smaller and its curved beak is shorter. It is a very fine songster, its voice being as sweet as that of the canary or the pied wagtail.
Hen: Upper plumage earthy brown, lower plumage yellow.
Found all over India, but is only a summer visitor to the Punjab and N.W. F. P. (Illus. I. F., frontispiece.)
108. Arachnechthra zeylonica: The Purple-rumped Sunbird (F. 901), (J. 232), (-I.)
Cock: From a little distance the cock looks like a black-and-white bird, the upper parts and breast appear black, and the lower parts white. Closer inspection, however, reveals a livery of many colours, each of which has a beautiful sheen. There is a patch on the crown which appears metallic lilac in some lights and emerald green in others. The neck and upper back are dull crimson, the lower back, chin, and throat are brilliant metallic purple. The tail and wing feathers are dark brown. There is a maroon collar below the throat. The lower plumage is bright yellow.
Hen: Upper plumage earthy brown, lower parts yellow.
Found in all parts of India except N.W. F. P., Punjab, U.P., Behar, Assam, and Burma. Very common in S. India. (Illus. B. P., p. 80; also B. B., p. 62, and G. B., p. 40, and I. F., p. 128).
Pittas are unique birds. They are about the size of a quail and are characterised by their short tails and legs and their many-coloured plumage. They feed upon the ground, but when alarmed they take refuge in bushes. They are never seen far from cover. They have a cheery whistling song.
109. Pitta brachyura: The Indian Pitta. (F. 933), (J. 345), (II.)
The natives call this species the Naurang (nine colours) on account of its many colours.
The crown is yellow tinged with orange and divided in the middle by a broad black band running from the beak to the nape of the neck, where it meets a broader black band that passes below the eye. The eyebrow is white. The back and shoulders are dull bluish green. There is a patch of pale blue feathers over the tail and a patch of the same colour on the wing. The feathers of the wing and tail are black tipped with blue. There is a white bar in the wing visible only during flight. Chin and throat are white, breast orange-yellow. There is a large crimson patch under the tail.
Not found in N.W. F. P., Punjab, Eastern Bengal, Assam, or Burma. It is nowhere abundant, but fairly common in Madras. (Illus. B. D., p. 108; also I. F., p. 256.)
A general description of the woodpeckers is scarcely necessary. They feed exclusively on insects, which they pick off the trunks of trees, tapping the same with their chisel-like beak to drive their quarry from its lair. They are very skilled climbers, moving up and down the tree trunk in a series of jerks; the head is always pointing upwards. Their powers of flight are not great, they progress through the air in a series of undulations, uttering their peculiar harsh cries. They excavate their nests in the trunks of trees. A great many woodpeckers exist in India, but only two species are widely distributed.
110. Liopicus mahrattensis: The Yellow-fronted Pied Woodpecker. (F. 972), (J. 160), (-II.)
A spotted black-and-white bird, with a yellow patch on the forehead. The cock has in addition a short red crest. There is also a patch of red on the abdomen.
Not found in Eastern Bengal and Assam.
111. Brachypternus aurantius: The Golden-backed Woodpecker. (F. 986), (J. 180), (+III.)
Bright crimson crest. Top of head black. Sides of head white, with a number of black lines and streaks. Upper back golden yellow. Lower back and tail black. Wings black and golden yellow, with some white spots. It has a loud screaming call, which it constantly utters.
Not found in Assam. Common in all other parts of India. (Illus. F. III., p. 14; also B. C., p. 65.)
112. Iynx torquilla: The Common Wryneck. (F. 1003), (J. 188), (+I.)
An inconspicuous grey-brownish bird, streaked, speckled, and mottled all over its plumage. In some respects its habits are those of the woodpecker, but it rarely if ever climbs high up a tree, it is usually seen picking insects off a tree stump or a mound. It has a peculiar habit of twisting its head round, hence its name.
It is a winter visitor to the plains of India, but can scarcely be called a common bird.
Barbets are tree-haunting birds with thick bills. They have loud monotonous calls of two or three notes, which they repeat eternally. They nest in holes in trees, which they excavate with their thick stout bills, in woodpecker fashion. The entrance to the nest is a perfectly circular hole, like that leading to a woodpecker’s nest, but considerably smaller. Barbets, when calling, move the head, so that it is not easy to locate the bird from its call.
113. Thereiceryx zeylonicus: The Common Green Barbet. (F. 1008), (J. 193), (III.)
A rich leaf-green bird, with a brownish head and a large brown patch round the eye devoid of feathers.
During the latter part of the cold weather and the early part of the hot weather it makes the bagh where it occurs resound with its loud, penetrating, monotonous kutur, kutur, kutur. The bird starts by uttering a harsh laugh—tur-r-r-r—this is followed by a long succession of kuturs.
Not found in Punjab, Sind, Rajputana, Lower Bengal, or the East Coast of the Madras presidency.
114. Xantholæma hæmatocephala: The Crimson-breasted Barbet, or Coppersmith. (F. 1019), (J. 197), (+I.)
An olive-green bird with very gaudy colouring on the head. I quote the following description from Bombay Ducks: The bird “always puts me in mind of a woman who ‘makes up’ very carelessly, who is not only exceedingly lavish of the paint, but does not understand how to shade it off gradually. The general colour of the bird’s plumage is greenish, but on close inspection many greyish white feathers are seen to be mingled with the green ones. There is a daub of crimson on the forehead and another on the throat. The sides of the face are pale yellow. The legs are coral red. The build of the bird is exceedingly coarse.”
But the coppersmith is a bird that is usually heard rather than seen. Its monotonous metallic tonk, tonk, tonk, like the tapping of a hammer on metal, is one of the most familiar sounds of the Indian country-side. This cry is heard only in the hot weather, and the warmer the day the more vigorously does the bird call. (Illus. B. D., p. 246; also B. B., p. 57.)
115. Coracias indica: The Indian Roller, or “Blue Jay.” (F. 1022), (J. 123), (+III.)
This is a most familiar bird. Its head and neck, throat and shoulders, are the colour of a faded port-wine stain. Its wings and tail are composed of alternate broad bands of light and dark blue. These organs are not very much en evidence when the bird is perched; but flight transforms it; as it flaps heavily along it is a study in Oxford and Cambridge blue.
It is found in most parts of India, but not in the island of Bombay.
It nests at the beginning of the hot weather in a hole in a building or a decayed tree. At the breeding season it is very noisy, uttering strange hoarse cries as it performs weird antics in the air, or, sitting on a perch, it every now and again utters a loud tshock, accompanied by a vibration of the tail.
In Burma this species is replaced by an allied one—Coracias affinis—the Burmese Roller. (Illus. B. D., p. 112; also B. P., p. 12, and B. C. cover.)
Bee-eaters are brightly coloured birds of elegant form. They are characterised by having the median pair of tail feathers prolonged a couple of inches beyond the others as bristles. The feeding habits of these birds are like those of flycatchers. They make from some perch little sallies in the air after insects. The wings when spread are triangular in shape. They excavate their nests in sandbanks.
116. Merops viridis: The Common Indian Bee-eater. (F. 1026), (J. 117), (I, but with rather a long tail.)
An emerald-green bird with a turquoise throat, black necklace, and a black band through the eye. The wings are shot with bronze, so that, as the bird sails along on outstretched pinions, it looks now green, now bronze, as the rays of the sun are reflected at different angles. There is some black in the tail, and the two median tail feathers project as bristles a couple of inches beyond the other tail feathers. The eye is bright red.
Found all over India, but undergoes a considerable amount of local migration. It is a summer visitor to the Punjab and N.W. F. P., and is said to leave the island of Bombay in the hot weather. (Illus. B. D., p. 82; also B. B., p. 42, and G. B., p. 64.)
117. Merops philippinus: The Blue-tailed Bee-eater. (F. 1027), (J. 118), (II, but with rather a long tail.)
General hue green, shot with bronze; the tail is bluish. There is a broad black streak running through the eye. The chin is a dirty cream colour. The throat is chestnut-red. The eye is bright red.
This species is a larger and less beautiful edition of No. 116. Like the latter it undergoes partial migration, being a summer visitor to N. India and a winter visitor to S. India. One sees large numbers of these birds when out snipe shooting in Madras. They perch on the bands between the flooded fields and make sallies into the air after insects. The note is a feeble but mellow whistle.
These form a very well-marked group of piscatorial birds, characterised by long bills and short tails. They nest in holes in river banks.
118. Ceryle varia: The Indian Pied Kingfisher. (F. 1033), (J. 136), (III.)
This bird must be familiar to every Anglo-Indian, it is the “Pied Fish-tiger” of Sir Edwin Arnold. It is speckled black and white like a Hamburgh fowl. It seeks its quarry by hanging in the air on rapidly vibrating wings high above the water. Suddenly its pinions cease quivering, and it drops like a stone into the water. Sometimes it checks its fall before reaching the water, and flies to another part of the jhil, where it again hovers.
It is impossible to mistake this bird; there is no other like it save its larger Himalayan brother (C. lugubris). It has a small crest. (Illus. B. D., p. 66; also I. F., p. 162.)
119. Alcedo ispida: The Common Kingfisher. (F. 1035), (J. 134), (II, but with a very short tail.)
This bird, which is to be found in all parts of India where there is a river, a tank, or a pool of water, is the kingfisher with which we are familiar in England.
Its head and nape are blue with faint black cross bars. The back is bright pale blue; the tail is dark blue; the wings greenish blue. The sides of the head are studies in red, blue, black, and white. The chin is whitish or cream-coloured, and the lower parts are rusty-red. The bill is black; the feet are coral-red.
Its habit is to perch on a bough overhanging the water, or on the river bank itself, and thence to dive obliquely into the water after its quarry. Its flight is low, straight, and very rapid; when in motion it continually utters a peculiar whistling scream. Its neck is very short, and as it sits waiting for its quarry it keeps raising and lowering its head in the most comical manner. (Illus. B. D., p. 102; also B. P., p. 144.)
120. Halcyon smyrnensis: The White-breasted Kingfisher. (F. 1044), (J. 129), (III.)
This beautiful bird must be familiar to every Anglo-Indian.
The head and nape are rich chocolate brown, as is the abdomen. The back, tail, and wings are bright blue. During flight the wings display a very conspicuous white band. The chin, throat, and breast are white. The bill is dark red, and the feet bright red. It is impossible to mistake this bird; a rapidly flying, bright blue bird, with white wing bars, which emits a loud scream, is without doubt this species.
It is often found far from water, since it feeds largely on insects, which it picks off the ground in much the same way as the roller or so-called blue jay does.
The above three kingfishers are among the commonest birds of India. There are several other species of more restricted distribution; but as these are only common locally, I have not included them in this work. The reader should experience no difficulty in identifying them with the aid of the descriptions in the Fauna of British India. (Illus. B. D., p. 104; also B. P., p. 4.)
These include some of the strangest forms in nature. They are often erroneously called Toucans by Anglo-Indians. Toucans do not occur in India. Hornbills are characterised by the enormous development of the bill. I have elsewhere described the largest of the hornbills as follows: Dichoceros bicornis is “nearly 4½ feet in length. The body is only 14 inches long, being an insignificant part of the bird, a mere connecting link between the massive beak and the great loosely inserted tail. The beak is nearly a foot in length, and is rendered more conspicuous than it would otherwise be by a structure known as a casque. This is a horny excrescence nearly as large as the bill, which causes the bird to look as though it were wearing a hat, which it had placed for a joke on its beak rather than its head. The eye is red, and the upper lid is fringed with eyelashes which add still further to the oddity of the bird’s appearance.”
The nesting habits of these birds are curious. They nestle in holes in trees. When the eggs are laid the hen goes into the hole, the entrance to which is plastered up by the cock and hen until the orifice is only just large enough to allow of the insertion of the beak. Thus the hen remains a voluntary prisoner until the young are ready to leave the nest, the cock bringing food to her.
The great majority of hornbills are confined to the large forests, and so cannot be called common birds. Two of the smaller species, however, are more widely distributed. (Illus. F. III., p. 140.)
121. Lophoceros birostris: The Common Grey Hornbill. (F. 1062), (J. 144), (IV, but with the tail a foot long.)
A large brownish-grey bird, darkest on the sides of the head and palest on the lower parts. The bill, which has a small casque or excrescence on top, is blackish and 4 inches long. It is a tree-haunting species. Its cry is very characteristic. Its flight is laboured, consisting of “alternate flappings and sailings,” like that of the tree-pie.
This species is common in Oudh. Blanford states that it is wanting in the Punjab. This is not correct, as I have seen it in Lahore. I have not observed it in the vicinity of Madras. Eha does not mention it in his common Birds of Bombay, nor does it appear to be found in the neighbourhood of Calcutta.
122. Lophoceros griseus: The Malabar Grey Hornbill. (F. 1063), (J. 145), (IV, but with tail 9 inches long.)
This is very like 121, but it lacks the casque. It is the common hornbill of the West Coast.
Hoopoes are ground-feeding birds, characterised by their long slightly curved bill and conspicuous crest, which ordinarily projects from the back of the head and looks like a backward continuation of the beak. When the bird is disturbed and when it flies the crest is expanded like a fan. Almost every lawn in India forms the feeding-ground for at least one pair of hoopoes. Hoopoes nest in holes in trees or in the walls of buildings.
123. Upupa indica: The Indian Hoopoe. (F. 1067), (J. 255), (III.)
Head and body fawn-coloured. Wings and tail white with very broad black bars. The beak is 2½ inches long, and the legs are very short. The feathers of the crest have black tips. The note is a soft ūk—ūk—ūk, rapidly repeated. (Illus. B. D., p. 140.)
These birds are frequently confounded with swallows (q.v.). Many species visit India, but only two are really common birds.
124. Cypselus affinis: The Common Indian Swift. (F. 1073), (J. 100), (-I.)
A blackish bird, with a white bar across the back, which flies with great velocity; the wings form the arc of a circle as it dashes through the air. It never perches. When it wishes to rest it repairs to its nest, which is a saucer-shaped structure made of mud, bits of straw, feathers, etc., usually fixed on to a wall under an eave, sometimes in a deserted temple or mosque. (Illus. B. B., p. 35.)
125. Tachornis batassiensis: The Palm-swift (F. 1075), (J. 102), (-I.)
A brownish-black bird. Its habits are like those of No. 124, except that its flight is less swift and it is rarely found away from palm trees. It attaches its nest to the under side of a palm leaf, or a betel-nut leaf.
These birds are very nocturnal in their habits, so, like the heroine of The Diary of a Bad Girl, they are heard and not seen.
They are characterised by the large mouth, which enables them to secure their insect quarry while they are on the wing. They usually lie up during the day on the ground in some secluded spot.
126. Caprimulgus asiaticus: The Common Indian Nightjar, or Goatsucker. (F. 1091), (J. 112), (+II.)
Upper parts greyish brown, lower parts reddish brown, every feather being marked by a number of narrow blackish cross bars.
The voice of this bird must be familiar to many residents in India, it sounds like a stone skimming over ice, and hence is known as the ice-bird.
127. Caprimulgus macrurus: Horsfield’s Nightjar. (F. 1093), (J. 110), (+III.)
A large edition of No. 126. Its chuk, chuk, chuk is not unlike the sound made by tapping a plank with a hammer.
This large family falls into two classes—the parasitic and the non-parasitic—both classes being represented in India.
The European cuckoo is very abundant in the Himalayas, but is rarely seen or heard in the plains.
128. Hierococcyx varius: The Common Hawk-Cuckoo—the Brain-fever bird of Anglo-Indians. (F. 1109), (J. 205), (-III, but with a tail 6 inches long.)
Every Anglo-Indian is familiar with the crescendo shriek—brain-fever, brain-fever, BRAIN FEVER—of this bird, which is reiterated with such “damnable persistency” at the beginning of the hot weather. This bird is exceedingly common in the United Provinces. It is less abundant in other parts of India. It does not appear to occur west of Umballa; I never heard it in Madras, and it does not seem to occur in the island of Bombay. It is impossible to miss it where it does occur. There is no mistaking its note. It is a greyish-brown bird with whitish under parts, each feather having darker cross bars. The bird is very hawk-like in appearance, hence its name.
It is parasitic on “The Seven Sisters” and other kinds of babblers. (Illus. B. C., p. 95.)
129. Coccystes jacobinus: The Pied-crested Cuckoo. Known to Europeans in Upper India as the Rainy-weather Bird. (F. 1118), (J. 212), (+II, but with a tail over 6 inches long.)
Upper plumage glossy black, with a broad white wing-bar, and white tips to the tail feathers. The chin, throat, and under parts are white. A conspicuous black crest.
This species is very common “on the Bombay side.” Numbers visit Northern India in the rains, and announce their presence by loud high-pitched cries.
It is parasitic on various species of babblers. (Illus. B. B., p. 53.)
130. Eudynamis honorata: The Indian Koel, sometimes wrongly called (e.g. in The Common Birds of Bombay) the Brain-fever Bird. (F. 1120), (J. 214), (III, but with a tail 8 inches long.)
Cock: A glossy black bird with a green bill and crimson eye. As he flies he looks like a slenderly built crow with an unusually long tail.
Hen: A brown bird, spotted and barred all over with white. Bill and eye as in cock. This is an exceedingly noisy bird, and is most vociferous at dawn. It has three distinct calls. The commonest is a crescendo: ku-il, ku-il, KU-IL, whence its name. Another call is ku-y-o. The third is a torrent of kekaree, kekarees. (Illus. B. D., pp. 218 and 220; also B. C., p. 92.)
It is parasitic on crows.
131. Centropus sinensis: The Common Coucal, or Crow-Pheasant. (F. 1130), (J. 217), (-IV, but with a tail 10 inches long.)
A great black fowl with chestnut-red wings. It feeds largely on the ground, and its long tail sometimes causes the “griff” to mistake it for a pheasant.
Its call, which is heard at all times of the day, but more especially at dawn, is a low, loud, sonorous whoot, whoot, whoot, the kind of call that one associates with an owl.
It is not parasitic, but builds a large domed nest in the innermost recesses of a dense thicket. (Illus. I. F., p. 80. [Illustration not a good one.])
131a. Taccocua leschenaulti: The Sirkeer Cuckoo. (F. 1129), (J. 222), (IV.)
This bird, although nowhere abundant, is widely distributed. It has the appearance of a large long-tailed babbler, and when it runs along the ground it looks like a mongoose. It is an earthy brown bird. The outer tail feathers are black with white tips. The bill is cherry-red; this, perhaps, is the reason why Indians call the bird Jangli tota. Like the crow-pheasant it builds a nest.
Every dweller in India must be familiar with these noisy birds, both in the captive and the wild state. They go about in small flocks, looking like “live emeralds in the sun,” and uttering loud screams and harsh cries. During flight they turn from side to side “like badly balanced arrows.” They nestle in holes in trees or buildings.
Three species are to be numbered among the common birds of India.
132. Palæornis nepalensis: The Alexandrine or Large Indian Paroquet. (F. 1135), (J. 147), (+III, but with a tail over a foot long.)
A beautiful grass-green bird, with some blue in the tail and a red patch on each shoulder. The cock has a rose-coloured collar round the back of his neck, which is connected with the bill on each side by a black stripe.
Found in N. and C. India. Very common in the Punjab.
133. Palæornis torquatus: The Rose-ringed Paroquet. (F. 1138), (J. 148), (-III, but with a tail 10 inches long.)
A small edition of No. 132, but lacks the red patch on the shoulders.
The commonest of the green parrots, and found all over the plains of India. (Illus. B. P., p. 18; also I. F., p. 220.)
134. Palæornis cyanocephalus: The Western Blossom-headed Paroquet. (F. 1139), (J. 149), (II, but with a tail over 8 inches long.)
Cock: General colour bright grass-green. The head is red, tinged with blue, as Blanford says, like the bloom on a plum. There is a red patch on the shoulders, as in the case of No. 132. The median tail feathers are pale blue.
Hen: Differs from the cock in that the head is duller, being of a grey rather than a red hue.
Not found in N.W. F. P. or the Punjab. Commoner in South than in North India.
Owls form a well-marked natural order. It is easy enough to recognise an owl when one sees one, but not easy to say to what species it belongs, because all owls bear a strong resemblance to one another—all are of much the same colour—reddish brown with darker bars or drops. Moreover, they are all creatures of the night, so, save with one exception, are not much en evidence in the daytime. This exception is that little clown, the spotted owlet.
135. Athene brama: The Spotted Owlet. (F. 1180), (J. 76), (II.)
A small owl; upper plumage earthy brown or grey in colour, copiously spotted and barred with white. Lower plumage white with dark brown spots and cross bars.
It comes out long before sunset and pours forth a volley of chuckles and squeaks; two of these individuals often shouting at once. When it catches sight of a human being it stares at him with its bright golden orbs and, as Eha observes, bows with sarcastic effect. No one who has dwelt any length of time in India can fail to have remarked this very noisy little owl. It nests in holes of trees or in the walls of bungalows. This is the only owl which can be classed as a familiar bird. Three other species, however, are often seen, namely (Illus. B. D., p. 256; also B. P., p. 94, and B. B., p. 29):
136. Strix flammea: The Barn Owl or Screech Owl. (F. 1152), (J. 60), (IV.)
This is a reddish-brown bird barred with narrow white and black bars. It has a long heart-shaped face, which is white.
It is very nocturnal in its habits; when it does get abroad in the daytime it is promptly mobbed by the crows. Its cry is a weird screech, and it is regarded by the people as a bird of evil omen.
137. Asio accipitrinus: The Short-eared Owl. (F. 1157), (J. 68), (+IV.)
A large buff bird barred all over with dark brown. It lies up during the day in grass, and is often flushed by sportsmen. Sometimes three or four are flushed together. It is a winter visitor to India.
138. Scops giu: The Scops Owl. (F. 1173), (J. 74), (-II.)
This may be distinguished from the spotted owlet by the fact that it possesses “horns” or ear-tufts. Like most other owls it is heard more often than seen. Its note, which must be familiar to all who have camped in India, is a single hoot, which is repeated monotonously at regular intervals of about ten seconds.
139. Glaucidium radiatum: The Jungle Owlet. (F. 1184), (J. 78), (-II.)
This owl is very like 135 in appearance, and has a peculiar protracted call which must be familiar to those who have camped in the U. P.
It does not appear to occur in the N.W. F. P., the Punjab, the Deccan, or Bombay.
140. Pandion haliaëtus: The Osprey. (F. 1189), (J. 40), (-V.)
This looks very like a kite when seen as it perches on a stone, but is distinguishable from the kite by the fact that its head and neck are white, save for a broad dark band which runs from the eye down the side of the neck.
When seeking for food, however, nothing is easier than to identify the osprey. Like the pied kingfisher the great bird poises itself in the air on quivering wings high above the water. Suddenly its wings close and it drops down like a falling stone and disappears into the water with a huge splash, to emerge a second or two later with a fish in its talons.
In the cold weather the osprey is to be seen in most places where there are large jhils or backwaters.
These are huge birds of prey which feed exclusively on carrion. They are distinguished by the fact that their head and neck are destitute of feathers. A large bird of prey with bare head and neck is undoubtedly a vulture.
Vultures, as everyone knows, stay for hours floating on outstretched wings high up in the air, looking out for dead animals. Kites and other birds of prey remain for long periods on the wing; they, too, can sail and soar, but they do not literally hang in the air as the vultures do. As these latter float in the air it will be observed that their wings project straight out at right angles to the body. The commonest species of vulture are:
141. Otogyps calvus: The Black or Pondicherry Vulture. (F. 1191), (J. 2), (+V, nearly twice the size of the kite.)
A black bird with a red head, a white waist-coat, and a white patch on each thigh.
Rare in the Punjab and Sind.
142. Gyps indicus: The Indian Long-billed Vulture. (F. 1194), (J. 4), (+V, over a yard in length.)
Uniform brownish grey; the hue varying with individuals.
Not found in Sind.
143. Pseudogyps bengalensis: The Indian White-backed Vulture. (F. 1196), (J. 5), (+V. Between 141 and 142 in size.)
This is the commonest vulture in India. It is very dark grey, almost black. The naked head is rather lighter than the rest of the body. The lower back is white, and this makes the bird easy to identify. It has some white in the wings, and this during flight is visible as a broad white band that runs from the body nearly to the tip of the wing. Thus the wing from below appears to be white with very broad black edges. (Illus. B. B., p. 9.)
144. Neophron ginginianus: The Smaller White Scavenger Vulture. (F. 1197), (J. 6), (V.)
This familiar creature I have named “The ugliest bird in the world.” I reproduce the description of the bird from Bombay Ducks: “There is no other creature like unto it. It is about the size of a kite. Its plumage is dirty white, except the tips of the wings, which are shabby black. The neck is covered with feathers, which stick out like the back hairs of a schoolboy. These are, if possible, rather dirtier-looking than the rest of the plumage, and frequently assume a rusty hue. Its bill is yellow, so are its naked face and its legs. As ‘Eha’ remarks: ‘It does not stand upright like the true vultures, but carries its body like a duck and steps like a recruit.’ . . . It is a good flier, and when seen on the wing looks quite a respectable bird. The under parts of its wings appear pure white in the sunlight, and the black border gives them a finish.”
Young scavenger vultures are sooty brown when they leave the nest and look like a different species.
This creature feeds on human ordure and haunts the neighbourhood of latrines. It is known to Thomas Atkins as the Shawk. It is also called Pharaoh’s Chicken. (Illus. B. D., pp. 278 and 280.)
In the Punjab it is replaced by a species which resembles it in all characters, differing only in being a little larger. This species is:
145. Neophron percnopterus: The Egyptian Vulture, or Large White Scavenger Vulture. (F. 1198), (J. 6), (+V.)
This large family is composed of birds which bear so strong a family likeness that it is almost impossible to describe them in such a way as to enable the reader to identify them at sight. As with the owls, birds of prey are easily recognised as such, but to name any particular species baffles even professed ornithologists. To try to make out the raptores by their colour is, to use the words of Eha, “at the best a short road to despair. Naturalists learn to recognise them as David’s watchman recognised the courier who brought tidings of the victory over Absalom. ‘His running is like the running of Ahimaaz, the son of Zadok.’ Every bird of prey has its own character, some trick of flight, something in its figure and proportions which serves to distinguish it decisively.” What precisely this something is I am not in most cases able to state. I trust that before long Mr. C. H. Donald, or some other Indian falconer, will give us a little handbook on the birds of prey of this country. For my part I am able merely to attempt a description of two or three of the very commonest forms.