146. Aquila vindhiana: The Indian Tawny Eagle. (F. 1203), (J. 29), (+V.)
In colouring this bird is very like the common kite, but has not so long a tail; and its legs are feathered right down to the toe—this is the sign-manual of all the true eagles. A bird that looks like a kite with feathered legs is probably a tawny eagle—the commonest eagle in India, abundant everywhere save on the Malabar coast.
147. Butastur teesa: The White-eyed Buzzard. (F. 1220), (J. 48), (IV.)
This bird of prey is about the size of the common house crow. Eha writes, “A Buzzard’s idea of life is to sit upon a pole, or on top of a small tree commanding a good expanse of grass land, and to watch for a field mouse, or a lizard, or even a fat grasshopper. If you see a biggish, untidy hawk, of a sandy brown colour, more or less dashed with whitish, spending the morning in this way, you may put it down as Butastur teesa.” The sign-manual of this common bird is its white eye, and if you cannot get near enough to make this out with the aid of field glasses, you may still identify this species by the conspicuous white patch on the nape of the neck.
Very common in N. India; rare in the south.
148. Haliaëtus leucoryphus: Pallas’s Fishing Eagle. (F. 1223), (J. 42), (+V; nearly half as big again as the kite.)
A large brown bird with whitish forehead, chin, and throat, and a broad white band (4 inches wide) across the tail, about three inches from the tip. This is the sign-manual of this species, and on this account Jerdon calls it “The Ring-tailed Fish Eagle.”
Not found in S. India.
“All the fish-eagles,” writes C. H. Donald in The Indian Field, “have loud resonant calls, anything but melodious, and each and all seem to love hearing their own voices. H. leucoryphus in the plains of the Punjab may often be heard long before he is seen, particularly when soaring, and though he himself may only appear a wee speck in the heavens, his call will be distinctly heard.”
This bird frequents rivers and marshes, and is an inland rather than a seashore bird.
149. Haliaëtus leucogaster: The White-bellied Sea-Eagle. (F. 1224), (J. 43), (V. a little larger than the kite.)
Head, neck, lower parts, and nearly the whole of the tail white; other parts dark grey or brown. Jerdon calls this species the Grey-backed Sea-Eagle. This species is very seldom seen inland, and is easily distinguished from Nos. 148 and 150 by having the lower parts white instead of brown.
Col. Cunningham describes this species as “one of the most splendid of large raptorial birds, owing to the brilliant contrast of the snowy whiteness of the head and under surface, with the deep ashy tints of the wings and back. There are few more striking objects than one of them as he sits on a bare branch overhanging a tidal channel, glancing around with his bold black eyes, and with all his beautiful plumage gleaming in the bright sunlight.”
This is a very noisy species, especially at the breeding season.
150. Haliaëtus albicilla: The White-tailed Sea-Eagle. (F. 1225), (+V; half as big again as a kite.)
A large brown bird with a white tail, of which the middle feathers are considerably longer than the outer ones. By this character and by its loud cries may this bird be identified. It is only a winter visitor to India—to the Punjab, Sind, and the U. P.
151. Haliastur indus: The Brahminy Kite. (F. 1228), (J. 55), (-V.)
Of all the birds of prey this is perhaps the easiest to identify in its adult state. The head, neck, breast, and upper abdomen are white, the shaft of each white feather being black. The remainder of the plumage is a rich chestnut, almost maroon.
The young are very like the common kite in appearance, but may be distinguished when on the wing by the fact that the tail of the Brahminy is always rounded, while that of the kite is more or less forked.
This species is rare in the Punjab, common everywhere else. In Madras it sometimes swoops down and carries off a snipe that has been shot by a sportsman. Its cry is a peculiar squeaking wail. (Illus. B. D., p. 190.)
152. Milvus govinda: The Common Pariah Kite. (F. 1229), (J. 56), (V.)
Description of this ubiquitous bird is unnecessary. His long tail, slightly forked at the tip, suffices to distinguish him at a glance from all other raptorial birds. (Illus. B. D., p. 182; also B. P., p. 148.)
153. Circus macrurus: The Pale Harrier. (F. 1233), (J. 51), (+IV.)
154. Circus cineraceus: Montagu’s Harrier. (F. 1234), (J. 52), (+IV.)
155. Circus cyaneus: The Hen Harrier. (F. 1235), (J. 50), (-V.)
156. Circus melanoleucus: The Pied Harrier. (F. 1236), (J. 53), (+IV.)
157. Circus æruginosus: The Marsh Harrier. (F. 1237), (J. 54), (-V.)
I shall not attempt to describe these birds, as, although it may be possible to tell the male birds apart, the hens are so alike that to distinguish them is no easy matter. The ordinary man will doubtless be satisfied to call them all harriers.
Harriers are cold-weather visitors to India. They are striking-looking birds with long wings. They fly low, only a few inches above the level of the ground, ever on the look out for a lizard, a mouse, an insect, or even a small bird. They are larger than crows and smaller than kites. They hunt over fields and marshes, and are not seen in towns, but those who shoot must be familiar with them. (Illus. B. B., p. 15.)
158. Astur badius: The Shikra. (F. 1244), (J. 23), (+III.)
This is one of the most familiar birds of prey. It is considerably smaller than the common house crow. Its upper plumage is ashy grey. The tail is of the same hue, but with broad black cross bars. The breast is pale rust colour, with a number of thin wavy white cross bars. The eye is bright yellow, as is the cere or base of the beak. It is very like the Brain-fever Bird in appearance. It often hunts for its quarry in the neighbourhood of trees. Its method is to make a short quick dash. Natives of India very frequently train this bird to hawk quail and mynas. Its note is a sharp double whistle.
159. Accipiter nisus: The Sparrow-Hawk. (F. 1247), (J. 24), (+III.)
This species, which is a cold-weather visitor to India, is very like No. 158 in habits and appearance. It is, however, characterised by having long legs. It is bolder and swifter in its movements. (Illus. B. D., p. 84; also B. B., p. 21.)
160. Falco jugger: The Laggar Falcon. (F. 1257), (J. 11), (+III.)
Several species of falcon occur in India. This one is, I think, the commonest.
It is a brownish bird barred and spotted all over with white. It looks like a large sparrow-hawk with long pointed wings. But it does not make one dash at its prey after the manner of the sparrow-hawk; it is a strong flier and settles down to a long chase in the open country. Its eyes are dark. Natives call falcons dark-eyed hawks, and sparrow-hawks light-eyed hawks.
161. Æsalon chicquera: The Turumti, or Red-headed Merlin. (F. 1264), (J. 16), (+III.)
Head and a stripe on the cheek chestnut. Back and tail grey barred with dark brown; under parts whitish with black streaks and bars.
This species lives largely on small birds and often hunts in couples.
162. Tinnunculus alaudaris: The Kestrel; the English “Windhover.” (F. 1265), (J. 17), (+III.)
Head, neck, and tail grey, back and wings brick-red. Lower parts cream-coloured spotted with brown. The red back makes the bird easy to identify, as does its method of hunting its quarry. It flies over the open country, and every now and then hovers on rapidly vibrating wings over some spot where it thinks it espies some lizard or other animal. If there is an animal there it drops quietly on it, otherwise it passes on and hovers elsewhere.
It is a winter visitor to the plains of India.
These beautiful birds are strictly arboreal. They go about in small companies, but so closely do they assimilate in colour to their leafy surroundings that it is difficult to make them out. They feed exclusively on fruit.
163. Crocopus phœnicopterus: The Bengal Green Pigeon. (F. 1271), (J. 772), (+III.)
A bright yellowish-green bird. Head, lower breast, and tail dove colour. Some lilac and a yellow bar on the wing. Legs orange-yellow.
Found in the Eastern Punjab, U. P., and Bengal. In the Punjab, U. P., and the whole of the peninsula of India is found the next species.
164. Crocopus chlorogaster: The Southern Green Pigeon. (F. 1272), (J. 773), (+II.)
This is so like No. 163 that it seems scarcely deserving of specific rank. It differs only in having the lower breast green instead of grey.
165. Columba intermedia: The Indian Blue Rock Pigeon. (F. 1292), (J. 788), (+III.)
This familiar bird scarcely needs description. It is the common Kabutar. It is a bluish-grey bird (light slate colour) with two broad black bars across the wing. The tip of the tail is black; legs red.
Found all over India. In the Punjab this species meets an allied form—Columba livia—which is distinguished by the fact that its lower back is white instead of slaty grey.
Every one is well acquainted with these familiar birds, so that a general description of them is unnecessary. The four species most commonly seen in India are:
166. Turtur suratensis: The Spotted Dove. (F. 1307), (J. 795), (III.)
A reddish-grey bird. The sides of the neck are black with a number of small white spots. The two median pairs of tail feathers are brown, and the others black with white tips.
Its note is a plaintive cūkoo-coo-coo. Like the other three species of dove this species is widely distributed, but is very capricious in its distribution.
It is very common in Calcutta, Madras, Travancore, Tirhoot, and Lucknow, but does not occur at Lahore, Bombay, or in the Deccan.
It is easily distinguished from the other doves by its black tippet. (Illus. F. IV., p. 1; also B. C., p. 123, and B. D., p. 8.)
167. Turtur cambayensis: The Little Brown Dove. (F. 1309), (J. 794), (-III; midway between the bulbul and myna in size.)
This pretty little dove often nests in the verandah, building on the rolled-up chiks.
Eha thus describes it: “Of an earthy brown colour, passing into slaty grey on the wings and tail, and tinged on the head, neck, and breast with that tender tint peculiar to doves, which the natural history books call ‘vinaceous,’ like a faded claret stain on the tablecloth. On each side of the neck there is a miniature chessboard in red and black. The feet are red.” Its call is composed of quite a little tune—a soft, subdued, musical cuk-cuk-coo-coo-coo.
This dove is capriciously distributed. It is common in the Punjab, U. P., Deccan, Bombay, but absent in Lower Bengal and the Malabar coast.
168. Turtur risorius: The Indian Ring Dove. (F. 1310), (J. 796), (+III.)
This bird is a light French grey. It is distinguishable from Nos. 166 and 167 by its paler hue and by the possession of a black collar with a narrow white border round the back of the neck. Its note is a ku-ku—kū.
It is common in the Punjab, U. P., and the Deccan. It is found in Assam and S. India on the East, but not on the West Coast, nor in Lower Bengal.
169. Œnopopelia tranquebarica: The Red Turtle Dove. (F. 1311), (J. 797), (II.)
This is the smallest of the doves, and is not nearly so abundant as the other three species. In the U. P. it is a permanent resident, but in the Punjab merely a summer emigrant. It certainly is not common in most parts of South India. It is remarkable in that the cock and hen differ in appearance.
The cock is a rust-coloured bird with a black collar round the back of his neck, and reddish wings.
The hen lacks the red on the wing.
The note is harsh and sepulchral, more like a grunt than a coo. The legs are not red as in the other common doves.
This family seems to form a connecting link between the pigeons and the gallinaceous birds. They are characterised by having feathered legs. They are coloured so as to assimilate closely to their sandy surroundings. They are game birds. The reader is therefore referred to Marshall and Hume’s standard book, in which there are coloured plates of the various species. The order is treated of on pp. 53-63 of Vol. IV. of the Bird Volumes of The Fauna of British India series. (Illus. I. G. I., pp. 43, 47, 53, 57, 59, 65, 69, 77.)
170. Pavo cristatus: The Common Peafowl. (F. 1324), (J. 803), (+V, with a long train in the cock.)
Description of this familiar bird is unnecessary, but it and its loud call, like the miau of a cat, are known to all men.
These, being game birds, do not come within the scope of the present work. The reader is referred to Hume and Marshall and the Bird Volumes of The Fauna of British India series for accounts of them. Since, however, one sometimes, in the course of a walk in the cold weather, puts up a common quail, I will briefly describe the bird. As you walk along you suddenly hear a rustling noise almost at your feet, and before you can say “Jack Robinson” a small brown bird has arisen with a flutter and dashed off a few inches over the tops of the heads of corn in the adjacent field. After a flight of twenty or thirty yards the bird drops into the corn—that is all you are likely to see of the quail unless you shoot it or net it.
171. Coturnix communis: The Common or Grey Quail. (F. 1355), (J. 829), (+II, but with a very short tail.)
A brown bird much spotted and barred with black, having some white streaks along the length of the back. Short legs.
A winter visitor to India. (Illus. I. G. II., p. 133.)
These are game birds, and so lie outside the scope of this book. I will, however, describe briefly two common species, whose calls are to be numbered among the commonest sounds heard in the jungle.
172. Francolinus vulgaris: The Black Partridge, or Common Francolin. (F. 1372), (J. 818), (+III.)
The cock is a handsome black bird, with everywhere narrow bars of white or grey. The sides of the head are white, and there is a broad chestnut collar all round the neck.
The hen is reddish brown in most places where the cock is black.
Its cry is a curious harsh crow, so high-pitched as to be inaudible to some human beings. Indian Muhammedans declare that the bird calls “Sub-hān, teri kudrat.” Blanford syllabises it as, “Juk-juk, tee-tee-tur.”
It is found in N. India, most abundantly in the U. P. (Illus. I. G. II., p. 9.)
173. Francolinus pondicerianus: The Grey Partridge. (F. 1375), (J. 822), (+III.)
A greyish-brown bird marked all over with thin white or buff cross bars.
The loud call of this bird must be familiar to most Anglo-Indians. It is uttered early in the morning and again at sunset. Blanford describes it as “beginning with two or three single harsh notes, and continuing with a succession of trisyllabic, shrill, ringing cries.” Jerdon says of this species: “Its call is a peculiar loud shrill cry, and has, not unaptly, been compared to the word Pateela-pateela-pateela, quickly repeated, but preceded by a single note uttered two or three times, each time with a higher intonation, till it gets, as it were, the key-note of its call.”
This species runs very fast, and does not, as a rule, take to its wings unless flushed. (I. G. II. p. 51, but plate not a good one.)
174. Amaurornis phœnicurus: The White-breasted Water-hen. (F. 1401), (J. 907), (+II.)
A dark slaty-grey bird, almost black, with a white face, throat, and breast. The under parts of the tail, which is carried almost erect, are chestnut red. Wherever there is a pond having near it some bamboos or rushes there is one likely to see a water-hen. It is a great skulker, and always makes for cover the moment it thinks it is being watched. “It is,” as Blanford remarks, “an excessively noisy bird; its loud, hoarse, reiterated call, predominating in the evening and morning over the cries of the other waders and the ducks in the village tank, must be familiar to most people in India.” (Illus. B. B., p. 173.)
175. Porphyrio poliocephalus: The Purple Moorhen, or Purple Coot. (F. 1404), (J. 902), (IV.)
A beautiful purple-blue bird with very long red legs. The bill is red, as is a square shield which the bird carries on its forehead. It has a white patch under its tail. It is impossible to mistake this bird. There is none other like unto it in India. One frequently comes across it when out shooting.
176. Fulica atra: The Coot. (F. 1405), (J. 903), (IV.)
This is the most duck-like of all the rails, and indeed is very frequently shot and eaten as a duck by inexperienced sportsmen. However, its shining black plumage and its white bill and shield on the forehead serve to differentiate it from all Indian ducks. Moreover, when disturbed on the water, it experiences some difficulty in starting to fly. It runs along the surface of the water for a few feet with vigorous flappings of the wings and much splashing before it succeeds in lifting itself out of the water. It does not usually keep in flocks as ducks do. It breeds in India. It does not swim so high in the water as a duck. Its feet are not webbed, but its toes are pinnate, i.e. provided with flattened membranes which assist it in swimming. Its bill is not so flat as that of a duck.
Cranes are large, tall, long-shanked birds which have a loud, trumpet-like call. The three common Indian species are chiefly grey in colour. They never perch in trees, but rest and nest on the ground. When they fly they carry the neck and feet stretched out straight. When they fly in company the flight takes a V-shaped form, like that of a flight of geese.
177. Grus communis: The Common Crane. (F. 1407), (J. 865), (+V; about twice the size of a kite.)
This bird is the coolung of sportsmen. Its general colour is dark French grey. Its head is almost devoid of feathers, and there is a square, dark red patch of skin across the back of the head. It has a broad white band running down each side of the long neck. Its legs are black.
It is a winter visitor to India. It is fairly common in N. India, but rare in the south.
It is usually seen in flocks, which spend the middle of the day on sandbanks in the middle of rivers. (Illus. I. G. III., p. 21.)
178. Grus antigone: The Sarus. (F. 1409), (J. 863), (+V. This is the largest of the Indian cranes, and stands nearly as high as a human being.)
Its general hue is French grey. Its head is devoid of feathers. Its throat and a ring round the nape are black. Its head and neck are red. Its legs are dull red.
It is the most familiar of the Indian cranes. It is usually seen in pairs. It does not soar high in the air, like the other two species. It is a permanent resident, but does not appear to occur south of the Godaveri.
It is far more confidential than the other species of crane, and will sometimes allow a human being to approach within thirty yards of it. (Illus. I. G. III., p. 1, but plate is not good.)
179. Anthropoides virgo: The Demoiselle Crane. (F. 1411), (J. 866), (+V. The smallest of the cranes.)
This bird is sometimes wrongly called coolung by sportsmen; the Hindustani name for it is Karkarra.
A light grey bird, with a black face and neck and some black in the wings. Behind the eye is a streak of white feathers which ends in a long graceful white plume. Its note is harsher and less trumpet-like than those of the other cranes.
It is a winter visitor to India. It is very common in the Deccan, Guzerat, and Kattiwar; less common in other parts of N. India, and rare in Lower Bengal and S. India. Its habits are like those of No. 177. (Illus. F. IV., p. 184; also I. G. III., p. 31.)
These come within the category of “game birds,” and so none of them are treated of in this book. (Illus. I. G. I., pp. 1, 3, 7, 18.)
180. Œdicnemus scolopax: The Stone-Curlew, or Stone-Plover, or Thick-knee. (F. 1418), (J. 859), (+IV.)
This bird is very like a bustard, and is known to Anglo-Indian sportsmen as the Bustard-Florican. It is an ashy-brown bird, each feather having a blackish streak down the shaft. Its wings and tail have some black and white bars, which are conspicuous when the bird flies. The bill, eyes, and feet are yellow. Its wild-sounding cry, which is often heard at night, is like that of the curlew.
It frequents dry, open, stony country.
These remarkable birds have very long toes, which enable them to run about on the large floating leaves of water plants.
181. Metopidius indicus: The Bronze-winged Jaçana. (F. 1428), (J. 900), (-IV.)
Head, neck, and breast a beautiful glossy black. A conspicuous white eyebrow. There is some black in the wings, but the general hue of these is a metallic greenish bronze. The lower back and tail are chestnut red.
Rare in Western India; common in the east.
“They present,” writes Cunningham, “an odd appearance on the wing, owing to the disproportionate size of their feet, which becomes particularly conspicuous when the legs are dropped just before the bird pitches on the surface of the weeds and expands its toes, which have been gathered up into a bundle during flight.”
182. Hydrophasianus chirurgus: The Pheasant-tailed Jaçana. (F. 1429), (J. 901), (IV, but with a tail a foot in length in the breeding season.)
Winter plumage: Upper parts brown, with a conspicuous white eyebrow and a yellow band down each side of the neck. Wings black and white. Lower parts white with a black gorget across the breast. Tail feathers white, except the two median ones, which are brown.
Breeding plumage: A long black pheasant-like tail is assumed, and the other parts are black, save the head, throat, and wings, which are white, and the back of the neck, which is golden yellow. This Jaçana looks in breeding plumage (i.e. in the summer) rather like a silver pheasant, and, indeed, Europeans call it the water-pheasant. It is a beautiful creature in its summer splendour. Finn says that it is to his mind “the most beautiful of all our smaller aquatic birds, and hardly equalled in this respect by any bird whatever.”
Its peculiar wailing cry has been likened to the mew of a kitten.
183. Sarcogrammus indicus: The Red-wattled Lapwing. (F. 1431), (J. 855), (+IV.)
This is the familiar “Did-you-do-it.”
Head, neck, and upper breast black. There is a broad white band running from the eye down the whole length of the neck. The back and wings are bronzy brown, black, and white, the white being arranged so as to form a conspicuous bar during flight. Lower parts are white, as is the tail, except for a black band which runs across it near the tip. The bill is reddish, and there is in front of the eye a conspicuous crimson wattle. The legs are bright yellow.
This noisy bird is known to all residents in India. Its noisy call, “Did he do it? Pity to do it,” is one of the most familiar sounds of the Indian country-side. (Illus. B. B., p. 161.)
In Burma it is replaced by an allied species—Sarcogrammus atrinuchalis—the Burmese Wattled Lapwing.
184. Sarciophorus malabaricus: The Yellow-wattled Lapwing. (F. 1433), (J. 856), (-IV.)
This is very like the last species, the chief difference being that the conspicuous wattle is yellow instead of crimson and the white line runs round the back of the head from eye to eye, instead of down the neck. Its cry is like that of No. 183, but not so harsh and with a note less.
This species is widely distributed, but not usually so common as the last. It is said not to occur in Upper Sind or the Western Punjab. It certainly does not occur in the neighbourhood of Lahore.
184a. Hoplopterus ventralis: The Spur-winged Plover. (F. 1435), (J. 857), (IV.)
Wings and tail marked like those of the red-wattled lapwing. The head and recumbent crest are black. No wattle. Its call is very like that of the yellow-wattled lapwing. This bird is very common on the Ganges. Not found in the Bombay Presidency, nor in Madras south of the Godaveri.
The ringed plovers are small “snippets” which haunt the seashore and the sandbanks of rivers. They go about in small flocks. Numbers of them are to be seen on the muddy edges of the Coum at Madras, but they have to be looked for, since from a little distance they assimilate closely to the hue of the mudbanks on which they disport themselves. They are not much bigger than sparrows, but are pretty little birds. Two species are common.
185. Ægialitis alexandrina: The Kentish Plover. (F. 1446), (J. 848), (I.)
Upper parts brown, lower parts white. The brown of the upper parts is broken by a white forehead, eyebrow, and collar. The under surface of the wing is white, so that as a flock of this species or the next two species fly they look now brown, now white, according as the brown or white surface of the wing is presented to the observer.
This species is seen chiefly in winter and on the sea-coast.
186. Ægialitis dubia: The Little Ringed Plover. (F. 1447), (J. 850), (I.)
This is very like No. 185 in appearance, but may be easily distinguished from it by having a black band across the throat. Legs yellow.
This species is not confined to the sea-coast. Like most of its tribe it has a plaintive whistle.
187. Himantopus candidus: The Black-winged Stilt, or Long-legs. (F. 1451), (J. 898), (-IV.)
Male: A white bird with glossy black back and wings.
Female: White with brown back and wings.
This species is characterised by very long red legs. Its bill is nearly three inches long.
It is found in marshes and tanks.
188. Recurvirostra avocetta: The Avocet. (F. 1452), (J. 899), (IV.)
This elegant bird is characterised by a very long bill, which is curved upwards towards the end. It is a very easy bird to identify. Its body is about the size of that of the crow. It is a white bird with a number of black markings. The black markings are on top of the head, back of the neck, the shoulders, and the wings. The beak is black and the long legs are dark grey.
Wherever there is shallow water there may the avocet be found wading in winter, for it is only a winter visitor to India. It does not appear to be very common anywhere.
189. Numenius arquata: The Curlew. (F. 1454), (J. 877), (V.)
This well-known bird is about the size of a kite, and except for the white chin and throat its colouring is rather like that of the kite. But here all resemblance to the kite ceases. The curlew is a long-shanked wading bird, with a curved bill half a foot in length, the curve in this case being downwards instead of upwards as in the avocet. It has a wild, plaintive cry.
It is a winter visitor to India.
190. Numenius phæopus: The Whimbrel. (F. 1455), (J. 878), (+IV; about midway between the crow and the kite.)
This is a small edition of the curlew, but differs from it in having a white band along the middle of the head. Its curved bill is only a little over three inches long. It is less abundant than the curlew, and perhaps scarcely deserves a place among the common birds of India.
191. Limosa belgica: The Black-tailed Godwit. (F. 1456), (J. 875), (-V.)
A brown bird with white chin, throat, and abdomen, and some white in the wings. The base of the tail is white and the remainder black. The bill is about four inches long, and straight. The legs are long.
A winter visitor to India; common in the north and rare in the south.
Blanford states that it is often sold in the Calcutta bazaar as woodcock, but Finn states that this is not in accordance with his experience. (Illus. I. G. III., p. 409.)
These birds constitute the “snippets” of Anglo-Indian, that is to say, birds that try to be snipe.
These are all greenish-brown birds with light under parts. They have fairly long bills, but not so long as that of any of the species of snipe. They are often seen feeding—a statement which cannot be made regarding the snipe. If you see a snipe-like bird feeding, you may be perfectly sure that it is not a snipe. It is a sandpiper of sorts, but it is not by any means easy to say which of the many sandpipers without shooting it. Descriptions of the common species of sandpiper follow:—
192. Totanus hypoleucus: The Common Sandpiper. (F. 1460), (J. 893), (+II, but with a very short tail, so that it actually measures less than a bulbul.)
It is a greenish-brown bird with white under parts. Its legs are not long for a wader; its bill is about an inch long. It goes about in ones or twos (never in flocks), picking up insects on the water’s edge. When disturbed it flies away, and then its wings, which are pointed, show a very narrow white band. By this you may recognise the species. It flies low, and as Eha remarks, with its wings bent like a bow. When it settles down it wags its apology for a tail in wagtail-like manner. (Illus. B. B., p. 168.)
193. Totanus glareola: The Wood Sandpiper, or Spotted Sandpiper. (F. 1461), (J. 891), (+II, but with a very short tail.)
The upper plumage of this is dark brown spotted with white. The abdomen is white, as is also the tail.
The habits of this species are very like those of the snipe, so that the sportsman out shooting constantly puts up the bird, but it can be distinguished from the snipe, because instead of emitting the sharp “psip” of the snipe on rising, it utters a shrill note. Moreover, it is a much smaller bird than even the Jack-snipe.
194. Totanus ochropus: The Green Sandpiper. (F. 1462), (J. 892), (+II, but with a short tail.)
This bird is very like the last species, except that it is larger and less conspicuously spotted, and has more white in the tail. It is distinguishable from the snipe, alongside of which it is often found, by its “shrill piping note,” which it utters on the wing, and its white tail, which is conspicuous as it flies away.
A winter visitor; commoner in N. India than in the south.
Among the sandpipers that visit India during the winter in large numbers are (1) Totanus glottis: The Greenshank. (F. 1466), (J. 894), (-IV) and (2) Totanus calidris: The Redshank. (F. 1464), (J. 897), (+III). The greenshank may be recognised by its large size and the redshank by the red legs, which are not so extravagantly long as those of the stilt (187).
195. Tringa minuta: The Little Stint. (F. 1471), (J. 884), (+I, but with a short tail.)
Upper parts dingy brown, with white forehead and under parts.
“If,” writes Eha, “you see a hundred dingy little birds, about the size of sparrows, all feeding together knee-deep in water, you may safely put them down as stints.”
A winter visitor to India; common on the coasts.
These being game birds are not dealt with in this volume. It must suffice that all four species—The Common, Full, or Fantail Snipe (Gallinago cœlestis), The Pintail (G. stenura), The Little Jack-Snipe (G. gallinula), and The Painted Snipe (Rostratula capensis), who is not a true snipe, all lie up closely in marshy ground or paddy fields in the daytime, and are not likely to be seen by the naturalist unless he is prepared to wade and flush them.
When flushed the first three go off at a great pace, either uttering no call or a short, sharp “psip.” The flight of the last species is comparatively feeble. (Illus. I. G. III., pp. 339, 359, etc.)
Gulls are very familiar birds to every one who has performed the journey from England to India. The beautiful flight and the loud screams of these kites of the sea are indelibly impressed upon the memory of most Anglo-Indians.
These magnificent fliers are able to keep pace with the steamer for hours at a time without putting forth any effort. They saunter through the air in the wake of the ship, and when anything edible is thrown overboard they drop down and pick it off the water (they can swim like ducks), and having devoured what there is to be eaten, they fly on after the ship, and catch up in a few seconds.
They are largely scavengers. At sea-coast stations no sight is more familiar than that of a number of crows and gulls squabbling over the little fish, etc., that the fishermen throw away when overhauling their nets on the seashore. (Illus. B. D., p. 272; also B. B., p. 190.)
The four commonest gulls in India are:
196. Larus ridibundus: The Laughing Gull. (F. 1490), (J. 891), (IV.)
A white bird with grey shoulders and some black in the wings. In summer the head and neck become brown and in winter traces of this usually remain. The bill and legs are red.
A winter visitor to India.
197. Larus brunneicephalus: The Brown-headed Gull. (F. 1491), (J. 980), (+IV.)
This bird is very like the last at all seasons, so that it is scarcely possible to distinguish them on the wing.
198. Larus affinis: The Dark-backed Herring-Gull. (F. 1494), (J. 978), (V.)
This bird is distinguished from Nos. 196 and 197 by the fact that its wings and shoulders are slate-grey instead of pale grey, and its legs are yellow. It is a much larger bird than the above two species.
It is said to be very common at Karachi. It is found on other parts of the West Coast, but apparently not on the East Coast.
199. Larus cachinans: The Yellow-legged Herring-Gull. (F. 1495), (V.)
This is very like No. 198, except that its shoulders are of a lighter shade of grey. It has yellow legs.
This gull is often seen on the rivers and large jhils of Northern India in winter.
These beautiful birds have been aptly termed the swallows of the sea, for like swallows they are birds of powerful flight, and remain for long periods on the wing. But they are not confined to the sea. In India, wherever there are rivers, jhils, or ponds there are terns to be found.
Their prevailing colour is white, and most of them have some black in their plumage.
To repeat what I said in Bombay Ducks: “No one can fail to recognise a tern. If you see a slenderly-built bird of whitish tinge, with long swallow-like wings and forked tail, a bird which sails along easily over water, sometimes diving for a fish, more frequently picking something off the surface of the water, you may set that bird down as a tern.” (Illus. B. D., p. 270.)
200. Hydrochelidon hybrida: The Whiskered Tern, or the Small Marsh Tern. (F. 1496), (J. 984), (+II.)
Winter plumage: A white bird with grey back, wings, and tail. Some black on the nape of the neck and a black streak behind the eye. Bill, legs, and toes dull red.
Summer plumage: The whole of the upper part of the head is black. The abdomen becomes dark grey, so that at this season the whiskered tern is liable to be confounded with the black-bellied tern (204). The tail, however, of the whiskered species is not so deeply forked.
Very common in N. India. An inland bird found on marshes, rivers, tanks, and paddy fields.
201. Hydroprogne caspia: The Caspian Tern. (F. 1498), (J. 982), (+IV.)
This is the largest of the terns. It is a white bird save for the fact that there is a good deal of black in the head. Its wings are pearl grey. Its bill is bright red. Its legs are black. Its tail is not very deeply forked. It goes about in pairs. It is local in its distribution.
It is common at Madras, and it is said to be particularly common in Sind. I have never seen it in the Punjab. Eha does not mention it as one of the birds of Bombay.
202. Sterna angelica: The Gull-billed Tern. (F. 1499), (J. 983), (+III, with a longish tail.)
Printer’s devils are particularly spiteful to this bird. In The Common Birds of Bombay they have mutilated its name into “gull-gilled.” In Bombay Ducks it appears as the “gull-bird tern.”
It is the least beautiful of the terns, being more heavily built than most of them.