,,^

.^

/J

ILLUSTRATIONS

INDIAN ORNITHOLOGY,
CONTAINING

iriFiT ifEwmi
OP

NEW, UNFIGUEED AND INTERESTING SPECIES OP BIEDS,

CHIEFLY FROM THE SOUTH OF INDIA.

BY

T.

C.

JERDON, ESQ.

MADRAS MEDICAL ESTABIISHMEST.

MADRAS:
PRINTED BY
P. R.

HUNT, AMERICAN MISSION PRESS.

1847.

^y

INTRODUCTION.

It

is

with

much

satisfaction

that

the

Author
by

has

brought

this

work

to

conclusion,
distinct

though

so

long
are

delayed

various
in

obstacles.
plates.

Forty-seven

species

of Birds
are

represented

the
first

fifty

The
either

great

majority

of them
or

figured

here

for

the

time,

and
the

improved
of the

figures,

different

states

of

plumage,
are
the

compose
the

remainder
layas,

drawings.

Three

of the
rest

birds

from

HimaIndia.

and one from Ceylon

all

the

inhabit

peninsula

of

CONTENTS.

Plate

1.

Nisaetus Bonelli.

Plate 26.

Bucco

Viridis.

2. 3.

Leucocirca Albofrontata.

27. Buteo Rufiventer. 28. Falco Peregrinator.

29. Accipiter Besra.

Zanclostomus

Viridirostris,

4. Accipiter Besra.
5.
6.

Picus Hodgsonii.
Prinia Cursitans.

30. Strix Candidus.

31.

Brachypus Poioicephalus.

7.
8. 9.

Muscipeta Paradisea.

32. Muscicapula Sapphira.

33. Otis Aurita.

Turdus Wardii.
Scolopax Nemoiicola.

34.

Anas Caryophyllacea.

10. Pterocles Quadricinctus.

35. Pycnonotus Xantholasnius.

36. Pterocles Quadricinctus.

11. Phfenicornis 12.

Flammeus.

Falco Peregrinator.

37. Brachypus Rubineus. 38. Mirafra Erythroptera.

13. Crateropus Delesserti. 14.

Muscicapa Albicaudata.

39. Dicaeum Concolor. 40. Picus Cordatus. 41. Scops Sunia. 42. Francolinus Benulasa. 43. Phyllornis Jerdoni. 44. Falco Luggur. 45. Anthus Similis. 46. Parus Nuchalis. 47. Picus Ceylonus. 48.

15. Oriolus Indicus.

16.

Ardea

Flavicollis.

17. Lanius Nigriceps.

IS. Pateornis

Columboides.

19. Malacocircus Griseus.

20. Petrocincla

Pandoo.

21.

Vinago Bicincta.

22. Pastor Blythii. 23.

Dendrocygna Major.

Columba

Elphinstonii.
Superciliaris.

24. Caprimulgus Indicus.

25.

49.

Xiphoramphus

Ceyx

Tridactyla.

50. Indicator Xantlionotus.

INTRODUCTORY NOTICE.
The
at lengtli
fii-st

part of the

ILLUSTRATIONS OF INDIAN ORNITHOLOGY

is

presented to the Public, after a greater delay in the publication than the Author

was led

to expect.

The ground-TTork and branches

Artist,

are from the pencil of a highly talented amateur

and the Author here begs leave

aid,

to

tender his most grateful acknowledgments for his

little

very valuable
the work.

which has contributed not a

to set off the

1,

drawings and embellish

Several of the plates, however, viz. Nos.,

2, 3, 4, 5,

6 and 12 were printed

off before the

Author became acquainted with that gentleman.

Thirty additional copies of

list

these plates being afterwards found necessary to meet the increasing

of Subscribers, the
to

same
those

Officer
first

added a ground-work

to these.

The

colourists

were instructed
;

paint in to

printed similar to that of the

additional lithographs

but, as

might have been

expected, they have not executed this part so well as the Author could have wished, and they

were not allowed

to finish

all

the copies.

In consequence of

this a difference,

more marked
trust that this
sets.

in some than others,

wiU be found among

the plates mentioned above

and I

explanation may prove sufficient to those

who have the

and

opportunity of comparing the two

The 2d No. being

distant interval,

entirely printed
its

partially coloui-ed, will

it

appear at no very
attractive

and the nature of

contents

wiU probably make

more

than the

present number.

Should the publication of the present

series of fifty

bu'ds be, as there

is

every

reason to anticipate, successful enough to repay the Author for the heavy expenses he has
incurred,
it

wiU, immediately on completion, be followed by a second set of fifty more bhds,

series will

and the two

then include a very considerable number of the unfigm-ed species

of Peninsular India.

A classified Index will be given

corrections of nomenclature that

with the concluding No. which will notice any

may be

required.

Nelloke

November 3d, 1843.

'Af'j-aeJjM)

^^^je/ru,ot/^

J'.wUtJ- iy

^..':jii-''!^-atM/-

ORB. KAPTORES.
TRIBE FALCON IBM.
FAM. AQUILINE.

GENUS N I S ^ T U SHodgson.
PLATE
NIS^TUS
I.

GRANDIS'-Hodgson.

YOUNG FEMALE.

LARGE HAWK-EAGLE.
Synon.
Niscetus niveus,

Jerdon

Madras Journal of

Literatui-e

and Science, No. 24.

Mhoriinghee, in Hindustani

Sahua, in Teloogoo

Rajalee, in Tamool.

The group
by Mr. Hodgson,

of rapacious birds to wMcli tUs fine Eagle belongs, was

first

separated

iu a paper published in the

is

6th volume of the Journal of the Asiatic

as

Society of Bengal, and the genus

as

there characterized

follows

" BiU

short,

at

base

high

as broad, distinguished

by compression without
and wholly

feebleness,

strongly festooned, nares

fifth

large, vertical, elliptic, angulated

lateral in

esposiire wings short, finn,

quiU longest

tail

long, firm and square

tarsi elevate,

but not feeble, wholly feathered

digits elongated, nervous, the inner fore

and the hind highly developed

acropodia

reticu-

late

with three or four scales next each talon

talons

immense, very unequal, strong and

Curator of the

acute

head usually crested."Mr. Blyth, the zealous and able

Not having had an opportunity

Museum

of

the Asiatic Society at Calcutta seems to thiak that this genus is not separable fi-om Spizmtus
of authors.
of examining any of the African
to decide the

and South

American Eagles
it

classed in that genus, I cannot attempt

point, but I think

likely there

wQl be found some shades of

This I consider
to

difference, warranting at all events

is

a sub-ge-

peric distinction.

be the more likely as the genus

not one of universal

HUistrations of Indian

Ornithology ;
the

occurrence.

Moreover, Swainson
tliis

has

separated

Falco cristatellus, an undoubted

member
tlie

of

group, from the African crested Eagles, retaining however Spizafiix for
Sii'

Indian Bird, and classing the others under the genus Ilarpi/ia.

W.

Jardine too

in a letter to
this,

me

waiting of the present subject says

I therefore

'

modified characters will receive both

and
as

cristatellus.'

prefer for the

present retaining Hodgson's excellent

tliis

name

being more appropriate to the habits as well as structure of the birds of

SpizcBtus.

group than the name

as

Mr. G. R.
is

Gray, in his Genera of Birds has put Kisivfus

error,
this latter

a synonjin of Limnatus.
all

This

of coui'se a grievous

genus being

described as having

the claws nearly equal and small.

The
Hodgson

present species or large

Hawk-Eagle was

first

described and

named
I

])y

Mr.

in the 5th

volume of the Journal of the Asiatic Society.

I

When

drew up the

Catalogue of Peninsular Bu-ds in the Madras Journal,

was unawai-e of Hodgson's paper,

and referred

this bird to the

Falco niveus of authors, with the meagre descriptions of which

access to,
it

in the books of reference I

ascertained
it

had

indeed sufficiently agrees.

have however since

to

be

distinct.*

I shall now give a description of the species represented here

observations, and

taken partly fi-om

my own

partly from the obliging communications of

Mr. Blyth.

Young

bird.

Plumage

above pale broAvn with the shaft and

tibial

tip

of each feather

somewhat darker.
deeply stained

Beneath, imder wing-coverts and

plumes of

a rusty white (in

some

"ndth ferruginous)

with a very narrow mesial pale brown stripe on the

feathers, almost obsolete in

some.

Tail

above closely and numerously barred with brown,

on a pale brown ground.

Adult.

Above deep

aquiline or
;

wood

bro'ma.

Beneath, pure white with a dark

brown mesial
on the
bars.
belly,

line to

each feather

broader in general in the female, and most developed

on which in old birds the brown hue predominates, and takes the form of

Under wing-coverts dark brown

under

tail-coverts

white banded brown

bai-s

tibial

plumes deep brown, freckled whitish

minal one.

tail

hoary grey with seven

and a broad subter-

An intermediate

state of

plumage

is

marked by

the

pale edging to the feathers

The name

Strenuus, was printed on the Plate before

was aware that the specimeD from which

the drawing was taken was identical ia species with grandis.

DSI

Niscettis grandis.

of the back,

by the

less

development of the mesial markings of the feathers of the lower

tint of the tibial

plumage, and by the paler

and

tarsal

plumes.
(or pale

At
in some)

all

ages the feathers

of the nape

are

margined with whitish

plumbeous, black

brown
and

and their bases are conspicuously white.

Bill

at tip

cere

feet pale greenish

yeUow

irides bright
flexiu-e
^'^-

gamboge
to

yellow.

Dimensions
tail

Length of

a male

26

to

27 inches

wing from
digit

17|

18 inches

11

bill straight to

gape 2

tarstis

3| centre
to 13.

S^V

claw

1-^^,,.

Length of female 29

to

30 inches

wing 20^

tail 12i

The
Himalayas
tricts

large

Hawk-Eagle

is

dispersed over the whole continent of India from the

said to be an

to

Cape Comoriu, but cannot be

abimdant species, though few

dis-

are not occasionally frequented or visited

districts,

by

a pair of them.

It chiefly affects the

hills
its

more wooded and jungly

ranges.
It is

and especially the neighboiu-hood of

and mountain
appearance at
often be seen
it

much on

the wing, sailing at a great height; and

it

making
It

certain spots in the district

frequents

always about the

same hour.

may

seated on the siunmit of a lofty tree, or on some overhanging rock.

chiefly

I have observed
;

on the Neilgherries, along the range of western and northern ghauts

in the bare

also

though

more sparingly

Deccan and

Carnatic.
at

The

individual fi;om which the present

drawing was taken was killed in Guindy park

It preys

Madras.

by preference on

various

kuids of game

hares,
to strike

jungle fowl, spur fowl

and partridges, and even on pea fowl

also

on ducks, herons and other water fowl, and

according to the testimony of Sliikarees

talus leucocephalus
.

it

has been

known

down

the douk,

f Tan-

Most

native Falconers too have stories to relate of

it

its

having carried
successively
to the

off a favorite

hawk.

On

one occasion on the Neilgherries, I observed

stoop

at a spiu"-fowl, hare,

and pea-fowl, each time unsuccessfully however, owing

thickoff

ness of the jungle.

fowls.

A pair were

also

wont

to resort to a village

at the

liHls

and carry

Mr.

Elliot too mentions

" that he once saw a pair of them nearly surprise a peaGreat havoc was connnitted among several pigeon-

cock, pouncing on hiui on the ground."

houses on the Neilgherries by a pair of these Eagles, and indeed I heard that one or tn^o

were completely devastated by them.

described to

The manner

in

which they captured the pigeons was

:

me by

two or

thi'ee

eye witnesses to be as follows

fi-oni

On the pigeons taking

but directing
its

flight,

one of the Eagles pounced down

a vast height on the

Its

flock,

swoop

rather under the pigeons, than directly at them.

mate watching the moment wheCj

pounces unerringly on one of them
eilso

alarmed by the

first

swoop the pigeons

rise in confusion,

and

carries

it

off.

The

other Eagle having risen again

makes another stoop which

is

Illustrat'totis

of Indian Ornitltohgy

generally

fatal.

One

of these birds shot in the act was presented to

sufferer

me by

a gentleman,
to

H ho had been a great

by them.
it

I
is

have not yet been fortunate enough

said

meet with

the nest of this Hawk-Eaglo, but

inaccessible
cliffs,

by native

Sliikarcos to build

on steep and

and

to

breed in January or February.

species of this
;

The

other

known Indian

group are
4th,

1st,

Niseetvs niveus.

~d,

N. pzilcher, Hodgson.

3rd,

N.

Kieieriin

and

N.

cristatellus.

fifth

species

has been merely indicated by Hodgson as N. pallidus.

tion of these four species

I shall

here give a brief descripBlyth.

from copious information afforded

me by Mr.

1st.

NiS-ffiTUS

NIVEUS

SUBCRESTED HaWK-EaGLE.

Syn.

Falco niccus,

Tern.

F.

caligattis,

Raffles

Nis.

Nipalensis,

Hodgson.

Young.

Above brown, the

crest,

feathers with broad pale edgings, usually has a slightly

developed occipital

sometimes found possessed of a long drooping occipital egret-Hke

spotless

beneath white, nearly ed with pale fulvous bands under taU-coverts

crest of two long feathers
usiially light fulvous

tibial

plumes white, regularly crossbroMTi

^^-hite sj)otted ^-ith

tail

brown with

five

dark bands and a subterminal one broader and more

with dark mesial
stripes,

the tipwhitishhead and nape extending by age barred with

distinct,

quills

blackish.

Intermediate age
interscapidars
less

Above dark
a

aquiline brown, with pale edgings, obsolete

stripe do^^^l the throat

on the

beneath white with dark mesial definedbreast with black drops on each neath nearly dark brown and under and white tad with an ashy tinge and banded
bro^\nisli
all

and 2 lateral ones

plumage be-

pkime

rest of tlie

tibial feathers

tail

feathers barred with dark bro-wTi

bro^^-n

as in the

young

bii'd.

Adidt

Plumage entirely

dusky black, dashed with ashy on the back

the under
tail

surface of the primaries anterior to theu-

emargination and the xmder surface of the

livid irides

caudal bands only grey beneath cere dark brown yoimgbright yellow Length of a male about adidt pale wax yellow. 25 inches expanse of wings 49wing 15 11 1| Female 3 from 26 29| inches exi)anse54wing 15f 11 \l
alone albescent
in
visible

light

in

feet

tail

bill

at

gajje

tarsus

J.

to

tail

^bill

tarsus 4.

This species has a larger

known

geographical distribution than any other of th

genus having been found in Bengal, the Himalayas, and Java.

Niscetus grandis.

2ud.

NlS^TUS

PTJLCHEEj

Hodgsoii.

Above deep
long

bro'UTi, blackish

ou the

cro-s^Ti

and

occipital crest
-white,

which

is

4 inches

feathej's

of the nape pale at base and edges

line
tlrroat

beneath
also

tmged with fulvous

ivith

ones blackishbreast and two broad central of longitudinal streaks belly and flanks banded and mottled bro-mi and white under banded plumes upper coverts plumes coverts the same on a grey ground. Length banded mth 5 dark broad and Female 33wing 19 of mak 9 inches ^wing 18 14J.

chin blackish

lateral

tail

tibial

distinctly

tarsal

less

so

tail

q^uiUs also

tail

bai's

bro-svnish
tail

tail 13.

3rd.^-NisjETUs Kienieeii, Red-bodied

Hawk-Eagle.

Syn.

Astur Kiemerii,

De

Sparre

Guerin

Mag. de

Zoologie, 1835.

Nis.

aliogularis,
_

Tickell Jour. As. Society, 1842.

Above black

Avith a

shade of brown

an

occipital

crest

2 J inches long

thi-oat,

ueck, and breast, 'pure white, the sides of the last only with black streaks

belly,

flanks,

under

tail coverts,

legs,

under surface of wings deep rufous, streaked with black on flanks

tail broivii,

obscurely banded

^wings.

and tad beneath albescent, with narrow bands

each feather streaked with black

eaj'

coverts white

at base, the rest rufous,

^irides

dark

cere
iu
its

M'ax yellow.

The spechnen
;

fi-oni

which

this description Avas

taken was probably

feathers

second or third year

the younger bird as shoAvn

by some unmoulted

had the
is

broAvn of the upper plumage only moderately dark.

An

apparently more advanced stage

described

by De Sparre

as

quoted above.

Pkunage above and

occipital crest, fine black,

with copper reflections, most apparent on the wings with clear rufous

secondaries

and ridge of wing edged

throat

wliite

cheeks
^belly,

mixed with white black and red

neck and breast

white with longitudinal medial black spots, most numerous and largest on the breast and
these

mixed with rufous

spots

and large black medial spots

under

abdomen and

sides rufous,

marked with nuinerous

tad coverts and legs unspotted rufous

tail

black

above, albescent beneath with black band.

tarsus 3.

Length 22 inches

wing 16
at

tail

10

biU If

A single specimen was

India.
is

procuxed by Lieutenant Tickell

Chyebassa in Central

The specimen described by De Sparre was

said to be from the Himalayas and

in the collection of Prince Essling.

Illustrations

of Indian Ornithology ;
Jotunal of Literature and Science, No. 25.

4th.

Nis^TUS CRISTATELLUS,

Elliot

Madias

Syn.

Falco. cristatellus, Tern.

Judging
ly

from

analogy
bird

witli
is

other

species of this genus

what

is

apparentocci-

the

young

state

of this

tluH

described
to

by

Jardine.

Above and

pital

crest

amber brown with

ycUowish
bars,

pale

margins

each feather, forehead white, head

Tidl above bro\m, Avith seven

and nape

browTi,

mixed with amber brown.

Beneath,
feathers

narrow black
wings white.

and

wliite tip.

of

tarsi,

and

ridge

of

the

Apparently the second plumage

is

thus described by Lesson.

Above

bro^A-n tinted

with rnfous

head

and neck rufous streaked

with

bro'wn,

beneath wliite streaked with bright rufous, deejiening in the flanks, inferior coverts and
legs.

Tail brownish rayed with dark brown.

stUl

more advanced age (Mr.

deep brown, the
latter

Elliot's

specimen) has the plumage above and

occipital crest, fine

nearly black, quills banded with dark b^o^vn.

Tail with five bands.

occujiies nearly the

Beneath white, each feather with a large blackish brown drop, which
whole feather, flanks and lower part of abdomen nearly
all

brown.

Tarsal feathers of a fawn tinge, spotted with brown.

Cere and
tail

orbits

dark livid or plumbeous. Length, of male 24 inches

wing IG

ll/o

bill to

gape Ixo

tarsus 4. said to

The specimen described by Jardine was

England.

have been taken on the coast of

Elliot's

M.

Lesson's specimen

was from Ceylon, and Mr.

I

was procured

at the

foot of the Eastern

latter

Ghauts inland from Nellore.

may add

that the description

of this

specimen has lieon taken partly from ^Ir.

Elliot's,

and partly from a drawing which

that gentleman

had taken of

liis

specimen.
of this

In
it is

comparmg
I think
size

the descriptions
to

bird

with those

of Nistctus

nioeus,

impossible
the same
is

avoid the sujiposition that they are identical.

relative:

They

arc

about

and

dimensions.

The

description of the
as

young
l\Ir.

state of

each

nearly identical, and the more advanced

state

described by
in
is

Blyth
as

of

N.

71

i feus

only

differ

from that of
less

Mr.
moult.

Elliot's

specimen

such a

degree,

we

should expect in a bird of one

It is represented very short in

The

cere of both

described as being

livid.

Mr.

Elliot's

drawing thus further corresponding with

being comparatively so extensive.

Ulceus,

and

lastly the geographical distribution of niveus

Niscetus grandis.

we have

every reason to expect

its

occTu-rence in Soutliem India.

may

here state that

I observed a bird apparently of this species in higli jungle at the foot of the Neilgherries.

It

was seated on the summit of a high

it.

tree

and had

its

crest raised.

I was xmfor-

tunately unable to procure

In a future part of

this publication I

hope

to

be able

to give a figure of

the adult

plumage of Niscetus grandis.

^,^cfccc^zcu

M^/^-a^^^^

Bu*^*W^y

-t^^^iS^MGn^ij^oic-

ORB. INSESSORES,
TRIBE DENTIROSTRES.
FAIL
31

US CI C API D^.

GEN. LEUCOCIRCA.

PLATE

11.

LE UCO cm CA ALB OFR ONTA TA.

WHITE- BROWED FANTAIL.

Synon.

Blnpidura albofrontata, Franklin

Proc.

Zool. Soc. 1831^ page 116.

Mucliurrea, Hindustani.

In
Library, tbis

tlie

excellent

volxune

on Flycatchers by
to

Swainson,

in

the Naturalist's
;

genus was
bill

first

proposed

be separated
broader
long,

from Rhipidura

the

cbief

distinctions being the

more lengthened,
not
quite
so

at the base,

and

less

compressed

towards the
loped.

tip,

the

bristles

and the legs and

old

feet

more

deve-

It appears
its

restricted to

the

tropics

of the

world, more

especially to

India and

Islands.

The

subject of our present plate was

first

described

by Major Franklin,

in his

usefid Catalogue of Birds procured by

him on

the banks of the Ganges and the Vindhiau

range of mountaius, which was published in the Proceedings of the Zoological Society for
1831.
It

was

also

iacluded by Colonel Sykes ia his Catalogue of the Birds of the Diikhun,

pubhshed

in the

same work, and I gave a brief account of

its

habits in

my

Catalogue of

Birds of the Peninsula of India, published in the Madras Journal of Literature and Science.
It

would accordingly appear

it

to

have a tolerably extensive distribution over the continent

its

of India, though

has not been found in Bengal,

place there being

taken by the
Peninsula,

Rhipidura fuscoventris of Franklin, which I have not yet observed in the

Illustrations

of Indian Ornithology ;
list.

though

it

is

included in Colonel Sykes'

is

Towards the South of the Peninsula, the

in those
coast,
districts

ITliite-browed Fantail

only found at

all

common

abounding

in

wood,

and

it is

of frequent occurrence all along the

dcjitlis

Western

though not found, that I

am

aware, in the
the

of the forests, preferring chiefly avenues of large trees, gardens, and

more open portions of the jungle.

In the bare Carnatic,

it is

only met with

still

now and
in

then in large topes or groves of trees, and extensive gardens, and

more sparingly

some of the patches of low jungle found in the more

the more
at Jaulnah,

liilly

portions of this district.

Towards

Northern part of the Peninsula however,

as I

had an opportunity of observing and may be seen

in every

N. Lat. 20,

it is

much more common and

diffused,

clump of

trees or garden.

In

its

habits

it

appears to be the most active and restless of the whole family, con-

tmually

flitting

about from branch to branch, snapping up an insect on the wing every

its

now and
Itself

then, and raising

It

outspread
flies

tail,

and lowering

its

wings, whenever

it

reseats
re-

on a twig.

hardly ever

beyond a few

feet after

an insect, and seldom

turns to the same perch, traversing in succession most of the branches of the tree, and not
resting during even the heat of the day.
I have usually seen
it it

solitary,

occasionally two

or three in company.
occasions observed
it

I have several times seen

alight

on the ground, and on one or two

seated on the back of a cow, and pursuing insects from this unusual

perch.
its

Its

chief food consists of mosquitoes and other small dipterous insects,

whence

Hindustani name.
It has

a pleasing little song,

which

it

warbles forth every

now and

then, consisting

of several notes following each other in a regiilarly descending scale.

Colonel Sykes speak-

ing togetherof this bird, and L. fuscoventris, says, "

spreads and raises his
tail

The male

has a very sweet note.

He

over his head in hopping from bough to

pitta, a

bough."

Its

popular

name

in

Teloogoo

is

Dasharee

name

wliich refers to the conspicuous white forehead

for the white stripe,
its

and eyebrows, Dasharee being the Teloogoo name

of the Hindoos

with which certain

in

adorn their foreheads.

was inibrmed that

name
its tail,

Malayalum

is

Manatee, or Washertnan, given from the continual upraising of

in this coimtry raising their clothes high above their heads

the

washermen
stone.
I

and beating them on a

is

am

ignorant of any facts as to

I shall

its

nidification.

The

species
it,

figured here for a synopsis

the

first

time I believe.

add a brief description of

and

of the

other

Indian species.

Description.

Plumage above

and neck in

front,

dusky black, darkest on head and

Leucocirca albofrontata.
neck, and palest on the
a few spots on the

tail

forelieadj

eyebrows extending

to the nape,

plumage beneath,

wing

coverts,

and the

tips of the tail feathers

(except the two centre ones)

bill

white

chin and
firont

To

^length

at

hides dark brown and blackish gape about 7 inches or 7 J extent of wiags 10 wiag from flexure Sto hiU about tV S/o ^weight 6| drachms.
throat white mottled with black
legs
at
^tarsusr^o

tail

The
1.

other ascertamed Indian species of

tlais

group are

as follows

L. fuscoventris

jRhipidiira fuscoventris

of Franklin, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1831,

and Sykes

mentioned above.
L. pectoralis, Jerdon

2.

New
-

species.

Description

head and

cheeks black
chin

rest of

plumage above dusky black

throat white
tail

band across the

breast black white spotted,

whitish,

blackish

^abdomen and
all,

iinder tail

coverts

tinged with fulvous-

feathers of the

light dusky,

except the centre

ones, tipped lighter

bill

and legs
front

blackish
jV

irides
-^-a

dark bro^ni

^length

6J incheswhig 3

tail

otV

tarsus t\

bill at

at

gape

weight 6^ drachms.
Catalogue of Birds previoiisly referred
to, I

In

my

mention under the head of L.

fuscoventris, that I

had observed

that species

on the Neilgherries, though I had not proit

cured

it.

Since that time I obtained this bird and found

I have accordingly characterized
it as

to

be

distinct

and apparently
cMefly the

undescribed, so

above.

It fi-equents

warmer

valleys at the edges of woods,

its

and occasionally hedges and

thickets.

Its habits are

much

the same as those of

3.

congeners.

L. liypoxantlia, Blyth,

Description.

Above of the usual dusky

length 4J inches.

coloru*

eyestreak, and

enthe under parts

brihiant-yellow

^taH

conspicuously white shafted with white iaterior edges to the feathers

for their terminal half

Hab. DarjeeHng.

ni

^^t<n^^^/i'/nuj

y/^^^A^f'JM^-^ 1
JMnUjy/.i//ij'. /l^i&JiMM.y'-'

ORB. INSESSORES.
TRIBESCANSORES.
FAIL CUCULID^.
GEN. ZANCL OSTOMUSStcainson.

PLATE

HI.

ZANCL 0ST03IUS VIRIDIB OSTRISJerdon.

GREEN-BILLED CUCKOO.
Synon.
Phcenicophceus Jerdoni, Blytli.

J.

A.

S.

1842

page 1095

^not

Ph.

viridirostris,-

EytonP.

Z. S. 1839..

I described tMs

bii-d as
to,

apparently
]SIr.

new

in

my

Catalogue of Bu-ds of the Indian;

I sent

Peninsula already referred

this that

and

Blyth: to

whom

specimens so far assents to

this

he has given

it

new name, but he

says,

" In most particulars

bird agrees

with Dr. Latham's description of his Madagascar Cuckoo the Serisomuscristatus of Swauison,
or Coucou

Huppe

de Madagascar of BuiTon,. which Levaillant states

is

also

found in some

parts of India, Dr.

Latham adding,

that

'

I find a similar one

among

the drawings of Mr,

DanieU, found in Ceylon, and there called Handee

species
is

Kootah.'

No

doubt the present

alluded to in both cases."

identical with our

That the species foiind in Ceylon and figured by

have very
little

DanieU may be
Cuckoo, referred

bird, I

doubt, but that the

Madagascar
to

by Swaiason
it)

to his

genus Seriscmus (which indeed appears

as the species

have been
the

created purposely for

be the same

here figured^ no one,

who compares

structure of the bill of the Green-hilled Cuckoo with that of Serisomus cristatus (as given

by

Swainson ia his Synopsis, evidently feom nature) can for a moment imagine
that

and I presunre

Mr. Blyth has drawn this hasty conclusion without referring to the
this bird. in the

figure here alluded to:

lie

Mr. BLythmoreover has included

genus Phasnicophmus of Vieillot,. though

Illustrations

of Indian Ornithology
tt-isfis

says of

it,

and

a nearly

allied species, 31elias

of Lesson, " the

bill is still

more com-

pressed

and proportionally smaller, assuming

neai'ly the

same form

as

in Zanclostomus,
ol'

Arherein Mr. Jerdon has even placed one of them."

the two genera I

On

referring to Swainson's definition

it

am

still

inclined to place our present bird in the genus Zanclostomus,

species.
is

may

be

as a

somewhat aberrant

The
dia,

Green-hilled Cuckoo

dispersed over a great portion of the Peninsula of Inin

though by no means common except

little

some few
it

localities.

It has

not as

yet been

prociu-ed in Bengal, but I have

doubt that

extends into Central India.

chiefly to

In the bare Carnatic and the

Deccan

it is

be met with in those

districts

where the land

of country are

is

much

enclosed, as in part of the Zillah of Coimbatore, where large tracts

enclosed by thick and in

many

cases lofty

hedges of

A'arious species of

Euphorbia, ivhich afford shelter and abundance of food

in patches of low and thorny jungle,

to this bird. as is

It is also to

be found
of the

more

especially

if,

the case

mth many

low ranges of

hills in

the

Carnatic, bushes of Euphorbia form a prominent portion of the

jungle. Thi-oughout the

West Coast where

jungles and forests abound,

it is

much more com-

mon,

especially

in those parts

where bam^boos occur,

and where numberless creepers

tree.

entwine themselves and hang in luxui'iant festoons from almost every

Such

is

the

peculiarly appropriate haunt of our Cuckoo, which diligently searches the foliage for various
species of mantis,

grasshopper and

locust,

whose green

coloiu-s

and odd forms though

little avail

assimilating so strongly to the plants on

which they

rest, are

of but

against

its

keen and searching

to flight,

eye.

It is

usually found single, and

when observed but seldom

takes

making
itself

its

way most

adroitly through
side.

the most tangled breakes or hedges,

its

and

concealing

on the opposite
it is

was informed that

Hindustani name
I

is

'

Kiippra
its

Popeya,' and in Teloogoo

called

by some Wamanah Kakee.

never heard

cry,

and know nothing of its

nidification.

Descrijjtion,

General

colour above dark greenish grey,

;

the wings and

tail

glossy

green,
breast,

tail

feathers tipped white

beneath light dusky greyish, tinged with ferruginous on

at their bases.
to

and the feathers of the throat and neck dark

tail
is

Length about 15 inches

of

which the

nearly

10

wing 5j
is

bill

forehead

inch at gape 1|

tai-sus

Iruths

weighs 2
A

oz.

12 drachms,
the Zanclostomus
trietis,

closely allied species to this

Melias

tristis

of Lesson,

and the Phanicoplimus longicandatus of Blyth's ]\Ionograph of the Indian Cuculidce, which
that gentleman

informs

me he

considers identical.

This species inhabits Nepal and the

Zanchstomus
Tenasseriiii provinces.
It bears a

viridirostris.

very close reserablance in colour

tail is

to

our

Penin^ar

bird,

but

is

much, larger, being 3 inches long, of which the

is

16f

The only

other ascer-

tained Indian species of this genus

Zanclosiomus Sirkeer, the Eudynamys Sirkee of Gray

and Hardwick, and Sirkee Cuckoo of Latham, which I have found, though mu.ch more
rarely, iu the

same

localities as the last.

TV

.-^ct-^^jifl'

-i^i?<^-7j

-^"^'^

/,/

tfl'-yti-^/^,,^,,^;,^^

ORD. RAPTORES.
TRIBE FALCONI DM.
FAM. ACCIPITRINjE.
GEN. ACCIPITER.

PLATE

IV.

ACCIPITER BESRAJerdon.

THE BESRA HAWK.

Synon.
Accip. minutus, Auct.
?

Ace. Dussumierii of
BeSra
do..

Sytes' Catalogue

Ace.

fringilla-

nWjJerdon
Besra,
(tlie

Catalogue No. 35?Ace.

female.)
tlie

No. 34, Madras Journal, No. xxiv.

Vaishtapa Byaga, in Teloogoo.

Dliotee, (the male,) in Hindustani.

Oor cMtlee, Canarese of

Halapyk

caste.

At No.
this species,

34 of

my

Catalogue of Birds of Southern India, I very briefly indicated

from Mr.

Elliot's notes,

never having

to

my

knowledge

at

that time seen the

Besra, while under No. 35, I described a

Neilgherries in thick forest, which,
species.

Hawk

procured by

me on

the Coonoor pass of the

is

if not identical

with the Besra,

a very closely allied

Since that Catalogue was published I have seen two living specimens of the

Besra, and have procured the skin of another, and

scientific

am

thus enabled to present to the

latter,

world the accompanying figure and description, which

however,

is

much

less

complete, than I could have wished, as I

this to

am

at

present unable to give an account of the

changes of plumage of

Hawk,

so necessary to a full

knowledge of the

species.

I trust

however

to

be enabled

do so before

this publication is finished.

Although I suspect that

the Besra

may be
said
is

the Accipiier minutus of authors, which though originally described from

to

Malta,
as

is

by Lesson

have been received from Ceylon and the Coromandel

coast, yet

there

another small species of Sparrow

Hawk

(the

Khandesra)

also

found here, I

Illustrations

of Indian Ornilhology ;
till

have placed
those

it

as a distinct species for the present,

specimens have been compared

^\

ith

named Ace. minutus

in

European
at

collections, unless the present figure in deciding the

and description
it

be

sufficient to

guide Naturalists

Home

point.

think

very probable
it

th at the Ace. Dussumierii of Sykes' Catalogue be no other than this species, as

size, whilst his

agrees in

Ace. Dukhunensis
is

is

apparently the F.

Dussiimierii of Temniinck.

The Besra
every native
forests of

a comparatively rare
lia\\

Hawk, though
Its

weU. knoAvn,

by name

at

least, to

who

takes an interest in
it is

king.

permanent

resorts are the large

is

and

lofty

Western India, and

usually

only after the breeding season

over, about July, that a

few

bii-ds,

young ones,

straggle to various portions of the Eastern parts of the Peninsula,

and there only

to districts

more than usually wooded or jungly.

to the
it

Here they remain

Mr.

a few

months, and retiun again

that "

Western

forests for the

purpose of breeding.
Canara) where
I
it is

Elliot says

he has only met with

in the

Soonda jungles

(in

taken young by
to believe that

a caste called Halapyks, and sold to falconers fi-om Hyderabad."

several individuals are annually captured

have reason

on certain

districts

on the Eastern

coast,

where
coast.

from time immemorial they have been known to resort to on migrating from the Western

The Besra and

some of the Falcons,
This
is

other short winged

Hawks,
is

as well as occasionally the

Luggur and

are

usually caught

by what

called

among Falconers

the

Do

Guz.

a small thin net from four to five feet long, and about tlaree feet broad, stained of a
it

dark colour, and fixed between tAVo thin pieces of bamboo, by a cord on which

runs.

The

bamboos are fixed

lightly in the ground,

and a living bird

it.

is

picketed about the middle of

a dash at the bird, which
it

the net and not quite a foot distant from

sees struggling at
its

The Hawk makes

its

tether,

and in the keenness of

it,

rush, either not observing the

net

from

its

dark colour, or not heeding

dashes into

it,

the two side sticks give way, and the

net folds round the bird so effectually as to keep

it

almost from fluttering.

The Besra
and
it is

is

said to be

somewhat more

difficult to train

than most of the Hawks,

a delicate bird,
It
is

and requires great care and

attention,

especially during the hot

for a considerable price.

season.

highly esteemed among Native Falconers, and

sells

It is very speedy,

and particularly
wild

active

and clever in jungle, which its

habits, as a denizen

of the forests in
it

its

state, peculiarly fit it for.

It is chiefly flo^vn at the partridge,

which

seizes in general with great ease

and certainty ;

also occasionally at quails, snipes

is

and doves.

The male
(pastor

or dhotee

is

but seldom trained and

other small birds.

then flown at sparrows, braliminy mynas,

pa^odarumj and

I shall

now

give a description of this

Hawk.

Male, \st year.

Plumage above

clear

wood

or hair brown, darkest on the head

The Besra
a few of the feathers at the
-

Haivlc.

bend

of the -wing faintly

edged with

riifous

ear coverts cinereous

wlaite,

throat white with a longitudinal dusky streak in the centre plumage beneath
brown marks,
long, oval, and

with

large

somewhat lanceolate on the

sides

breast,

more rounded on the

abdomen, and forming broad bars on the

ashy brown ground

tail

with four dark brown bars on a pale

ie feathers white, closely

marked with small roundish brown marks

at tip

luider tail-coverts purewliite

bill blueish,

black

cere and orbitur skin

pale greenish

yellow

legs

and

feet pale yellowish

green with a glaucous tinge

hides golden yellow, with

plates,
tail

an exterior

circle of black

tarsus long, thin

and compressed of apparently two long

one before and one beliind.

Length 10 iaches

wing from flexure 6

genus

tarsus 2.
fifth,

The second

quill is longer

than other species of

fourth,

this

-the

thkd

is

equal to the
scutella

and but shghtly shorter than the

which

is

longest.

There are eight on the

centre,

on the

posterior toe next the claw, seven on the internal, twenty -five

and seventeen

on the external

toe.

The specimen from which

the accompanying figure was taken (as well two liv-

ing birds I have seen) was beginning to moult, and the ous or slaty hue, and Native Falconers assure

new
is

feathers

were of a dark cinere-

me that such
is

the colour of the upper plu-

mage

of the 5esra after

its first

moult and which it

said not again to

change.

If this be

the case, the specimen I procured on the side of the Neilgherries formerly alluded to cannot

well be this species, as

it

has the upper plumage of dark clove brown, whilst the under fea-

thers have the usual barred character of the

Hawks

after their first moult.

It has the

lower

plumage white, numerously and broadly barred with rufous brown, mixed with dusky brown.

The length
with claw

of this bird was about 14 iaches

wing 7i

^tail

5to

tarsus 2,-h

middle

toe

lA

tarsus thin, pale yellow, with the anterior

lateral scales.

and posterior

scales

each of one

entire piece,
est,

and no

In
tail

this

specimen too the head and back of neck are dark-

almost black indeed, and the

Hght grey with four broad dark bars on the centre

thi'oat

feathers

and

sis

on the external ones, face and ears dusky,

white, with longitudinal

this bird,

medial stripe

and

under

tail-coverts
it

pure white.
fi-om the

I possess a
till

drawing of

but

am

at

present unwiUing to separate

Besra

am more

thorouglily certified

of the

changes of plumage the latter undergoes, and especially the style of the mark-

ings of the lower plumage. Native Falconers enumerate several varieties of the Besra, some

of which

may be

distinct

species,

others perhaps

only varieties of colour.

These I

shall

ahude

to presently.

Two

other well ascertained species of Sparrow

Hawk

are found in the South

of

India, one the Accip.

Dussumierii F. Dussumieni of Tenuninck, the Ace. Dukhunensis of

Illustrations

of Indian Ornithology

Sykes, and probably also

F.

hadius figured most wretchedly in Bro\^Ti's Illustrations of

is

Zoology from Ceylon.

This

the Shikra of the Natives,

is

well

known and extremely

in

common, and

is

more frequently trained than any other bird of prey

India.

It

is

bold, though not a very speedy bird, yet will seize partridges or quaUs, and strike
a

down
genus

crow or even a larger

bu-d.

see

that

Mr. Blyth proposes placing

its

it

in

the
this

Astur, rather than in Accipiter, owing to the shortness of

ter certainly makes
it

toes,
its

but though

charac-

an aberrant species of the

it

latter

genus,
other

superior length
is

of tarsus
to the

would equally make

an aberrant Astur.
It is the

The

Hawk

closely

allied

European Ace. fringillarius.

Basha

of Indian Falconry, and has been

named Ace.

nisosimilishj hient. Tickell of the Bengal Aiuny.

The Khandesra
procure, though

is

another small species

which I have hitherto in vain endeavoui-ed

of
is

to

the concurrent testimony

it

many

Shikaries

from

all

parts of the country gives

species. It

me
to

every reason to conclude that

a distinct and well

marked
the

was described

me

as

having a shade of pluill

mage more resembling

Basha than the Besra, with

tail

the markings small and

defined, a

small head and eye, and a short

and

is

about the size of the Besra.

I trust to be

It is

said to be

the speediest of

all

the Sparrow

Hawks.

enabled

to

procure one before

very long.

In a Native work on Falconry, I saw

at

Aurungabad, the Besra

is

enumerated,

and fom-

varieties are

mentioned

1st,

The Kliandesra

2nd, The

Chateesrah

3rd,

The

SakhurtaJi, and 4th,

The Besra proper

of

-these I

have akeady mentioned the Besra and

it

the Khandesra.

I have also heard Falconers speali of the Chateesrah but

appears

little

known

at present,

and the Sukhurtah appears unknown now.

the Besra
is

In another work sent

to

me

by Mr. Blyth

for perusal,

thus

divided.

1st,

The Khund Besra proba3rd,

bly the same as the Khandesra.

Jutesura, most likely native

synonym

of

2nd, Khura Besra, perhaps the Besra proper. The never heard of may be a Bhagureena the Chateesrah. Khur Besra. Manik Besra. the Sukhurtah. Khod.
4th,
this I
it

5th,

6th,

7th,

strongly suspect that these three names are only different appellations for the same

hawk

which from the description given of the Manik Besra

Hodgson,
called

is

undoubtedly the Astur Indicus of

is

G6r Besra

in the

South of India, which

also again

mentioned shortly
in his description

afterwards in the same

of Astur Indicus gives as

work
its

as the Chooryalee, a

name which Hodgson

name

in the Eastern Tarai.

I trust to be enabled in the coui'se of the present series of Illustrations to give a

di-awing of the second

plumage of the Besra from

a living specimen.

ORD. INSESSORES.
TRIBE SCANSORES.
FAIL PICID^.
GEN. PICUS.

PLATE

V.

PICUS HODGSONIIJerdon.

WHITE-BACKED WOODPECKER.
Synon.

Hemilophus Hodgsonii, Jerdon, No. 213, Cat. (with coloured figure) Madras
Jom-n. of Lit. and Science, No. xxvii, page 215.

This fine

Woodpecker

is

found in the

lofly forests of
to

Western India, but

is

by

no means common, and I have never yet been enabled

extremely wary.

procure a fresh specimen, as

it,

it is

Native Shikarees however occasionally shoot

and

it

is

by no means un-

common

to see it in collections

formed by Gentlemen on the West

coast.

Of its geographical

distribution out of the Peninsula, I

am

at

present ignorant.

Description.

Head,

crest,

and stripe from the lower mandible crimson, lower part

biU. black,

of the back and middle of the belly white, the rest of the plumage deep black,
legs plumbeous.

Length of one specimen

tarsus 1^

(the largest I have seen)

19i inches long

base ^ inch

of

wing

tail 7 1

biU

to front 2t'o

It

at

gape 2to

width

at

wing

Trith 6th quill longest

tail

much wedged.

appears to belong to Swainson's subgenus

Hemilophus.
It

appears to resemble very closely the Picus

lencogaster of

Temminck, which
In none

Horsfield identifies with his P. Jacensis, siace

named P.

Horsfieldii

by Wagler.

of the descriptions however of these species do I find any mention of the conspicuously

Illustrations

of Indian Omithologtj ;
to think that

white back.
gaster, as

Mr. Blyth however seems

my

bird

may be

identical with lenco-

he has seen a specimen of

this latter
I

from the Tenasserim Coast with some white on

seen some
six or

the lower part of its back,

but

as

have

now

eight specimens of
I

/'.

Hodgsonii, in each of which the white back was equally developed,

am

therefore led to

conclude that
in dedicating

it is

a distinct species.
fine

beg

to repeat

here that I have very great pleasure

at

tliis

Woodpecker

to B.

H. Hodgson, Esq., our accomplished Resident work on the Zoology of that country,
I

the Court of Nepal, M'hose long promised

see

am

glad to

may

shortly be expected.

VI

l/A^^-txy

(u^^.^^'^ce^r^^

P^^ri^ji

^y

Kfijt*t<fn4^.t>/<,

ORn. INSESSORES.
TRIBEDENTIROSTRES.
FAM. SYLVIADE.

GENUS PRINIA.

PLATE

VI.

PRINIA CURSITANS Franklin.

GRASS WARBLER.
This curiously plumaged
little

species

of

Prima was

fii-st

described

by Major

FranMin
ed,

ia bis excellent Catalogue of Birds before alluded to.

to

Since tbis plate was print-

Mr. Blytb bas suggested

me

tbat

it

would be more appropriately included in tbe genus

bave a very extended distribution over tbe Con-

Cysticola of modern autbors.

It appears to

tinent of India, being found

from tbe Himalayas to Cape Comorin, witbin a few miles of

I bave seen
it

wbicb place I first prociu-ed

levels

it.

in every district
It is

wbere

I bave

been and

at

aU

up

to tbe

summit of tbe Neilgberries.

is

only found in long grass, or corn and

rice fields,

and

a permanent resident here.

if

On

being raised
at

it

will occasionally take

it

refage in a low tree or busb,

sucb sbelter happen to be close

band, but in general

flies

slowly, in a jerking manner and with apparent difficulty for a few yards,

and then drops

down and

conceals itself

among

tbe blades of grass or com, allovring you to approach very

close, before it again attempts to rise. It often

advances rapidly several yards fi-om tbe spot

(as its

wbere
or

it

alighted, but

whether by running on tbe ground

name woxdd seem

to

imply)

by hopping from blade to blade I cannot say. Tbe Grass

TFarS^er feeds on ants, larvae of grasshoppers, and various
its

other small
its

insects.

I have not succeeded in finding

It
is

nest,

but bave been told that

bii'd,

it

lays

eggs on

the ground in a tuft of grass.

far

from being an uncommon

and most Sportsmen

whether

after

snipe, florikin,

or quail

must have flushed hundreds of them.

The Hia-

Illustrations

of Indian Ornithology
-n-ord

dustani

name

signifies
all

Grass Warbler, the

Phootkee, or Pitpittee, being apiDlicd indis-

criminately to

the small PrinicB and Syhiw, in this case however with a distinct specific
its

appellation indicative of

resorts.

Description

Plumage

above of

pale

ycUowish brown, largely streaked with

beneath pale fulvous or
at the

dark brown
rufescent

chin

and throat white, the

rest

of the plumage

tail

feathers (except the two centre ones) with a black

band
tail

apex, tipped

white

this is

most strongly marked beneath

^bill

quills

and centre
yellow
2

feathers

dusky edged

with brown

brown, pale beneath

legs fleshy
tall

hides

light

brownish yellow.
of

Length 4

to

4^ inches
-is.

wing

ItV

nearly

arsus A extent

wings 5|

bni at front

vn

.^^^^Jie^ ^UM^eu^e^,

^.
fl-^CU

/yZMc a^^'^."^^^.'

OR

I).

INSJESSORES.

TRIBE DENTIROSTRES.
FAM. MUSCICAPID^.

GENUS MUSCIPETA.

PLATE

VII.

MUSCIPETA PARADISEA.

PARADISE FLYCATCHER.
Synon.

Musdcapa paradisi,

L.

M.

Indica, Stephens.
nea, Termn.

Upupa paradisea, L.

M.

casta-

I
that the

HAVE introduced here

Indica and

drawing of

this well

known. Flycatclier,

to

prove the fact

Micscipeta

M. paradisea
less

of authors are one and

the same species.

Sj'kes
says,

This I presume has been suspected more or

in his Catalogue of

by various

Naturalists, for Colonel

Bhds

of the

Dukkun* speaking

of these

two supposed species,

belong
in
to

" These two birds have been

lately erroneously considered to

one species.

They
nor

were never found, however, by Colonel Sykes (who shot manj')

did he observe any intermediate state of plumage.
of the

the

same

locality,

The
of

difference

between the females

two bhds

at once decides

the distinction

species."

For

my own part

though

I recognised the exact identity of size and structure, I never doubted that Colonel Sykes

was correct in
given.
tion,

his assertion, until

met with the specimen,

a figure
it

of wliich

is

here

Knowiag

the interest attached to such a specimen, I sent

in his

to

Mr. Blyth
for

for inspec-

and that gentleman

Report of the Asiatic Society's

it.

Museum

September 1842,

makes the following observations on

strating

"

particularly interesting specimen, as

demon-

what

I have for
*

some time been convinced of from observation of the living birds,

Proceedings of Zoological Society
for 1832,

pnge Si.

llhisfratioiis

of Indian Ornitholog]/ ;

and especinlly
different states

their

notes,

that this aiul the

M.

Iiidica rcl

casfuiiea

Auctoium, are but

tlic

of phimage of the same species, both sexes of which attain

white garb

vith

full

maturity, thougli breeding before they assume this livery.

is

In the present specimen,

parts,

a male, which

sent for

inspection and exhibition

by Mr. Jerdon, the whole under

of
tlie tlie

some of the upper

last

tail-coverts,

and the upper

tcrtiaries

wings are
is

i)ure

white, the

displajing the usual black markings, while the rest of

plumage
and

bright chesnut, ex-

cept the head and neck, which are glossy

green-black as
tlie

usual,

it

moreover docs not

appear that

this bird

was moulting, but that

its

individual had thrown out this interme-

diate garb at

the last renewal of

feathers, a

few of these (among the interscapularies)

castaneu.

being partly white, and partly of

taxidermists assures me, however,

tire

chesnut hue of reputed M.

One
its

of our

tliat

he has shot a male of

this species

during

moult,

in wliich the chesnut feathers were aU being replaced

larly that
Avhite

by white

ones, and mentions particu;

one only of

its

long chesnut middle tail-feathers had been cast

its

and that a new

one was growing in

place.

may

further add that

Mr. Hodgson has akeady

to 31.

presented the

Museum

with white and chesnut specimens, referring both

paradisea

and

that I have

seen a \\lute male jiaired ^^ith a chesnut female, though more frequently

jiairs

of the same colour associate.

;

This bird

is

not

uncommon

in the vicinity of Calcutta

at

aU seasons

and I have seen a nest of yoimg ones which were dull chesnut, with merely

a slight indication of the black hood."*

C. S. on this

On

writing to

my

friend S.

N. "Ward, Esrp M.

subject he seems to think (and he has

had good opportunity of observing

these bu'ds) that the

whiteplumagcd

birds, are

males in theu' breeding plumage only, and

also

that they change back to their usual chesnut

hue afterwards,

that the

females

arc al-

ways

red.

That

this latter is

the case I have alwa}'s been led to believe (never having shot
j\Ir.

a wliite female) in opposition to

'^^'ith

Bh'th's

idea that " both sexes attain the white

still

garb
the

fuU

mati.u'ity."

Fiuther investigations are

wanting

to

enable us

to

come

at

%^'hole truth.

This elegant Flycatcher

at all

is

dispersed over the whole continent of India, but

is

only

common

in the

most Avooded portions of the country, preferring dense bamboo jungle.

visits

It
its

however occasionally
habits
it is

gardens and groves of trees in

all jiarts

of the Peninsula.
to

In

restless

and wandering, Hitting continually from branch

It feeds

branch, and often

air,

Avandering fi-om tree to tree.

casionally snaps off a branch.

on various insects wluch

it

it

captures in the

or oc-

Colonel Sykes says,

feeds in the ground, and chiefly on

far as

Aerv

minute

insects.

This

ha\'e not i'ound to

*

be the case as

my

opportunities

of ob-

Jounml

.^siitif Society,

No, 129, page SSi.

Muscipeta paradisea.
serving this bird have
is

served.

I have generally seen

it

single, occasionally

in.

pairs.

It

said to breed in bamboos.

It has a

loud harsh grating cry of alarm, but I never heard

it

any other note.

When

it

seizes

an insect

makes a loud snap with

its

mandibles.

I need not give a further description of the Paradise Flycatchei', and shall merely

here add
about
5,

its

dimensions.
tail

Length

to

end of ordinary

tail

about 9 inches

"wing

oJg

tail

centre

feathers vary fi-om 14 to

21 inches or more

bill

at front

/^-ths

at

gape IjVth

tarsus

/oths

bill and

orbits lilac blue

inside

of

mouth

pale yellow

legs

and

feet pale

blueish

iiddes

dark brown.

Mr.

Ward

informs

me

that

he

lately

procured

a white male with 3 long

Its

tail feathers.
is

name

in Hindustanee

Hoosseinee Bulhid (the white one) and Shah Bulbul

or Sultana

Bulbid (the chesnut one.)

tailed

In Teloogoo

it

is

called

Tonka

Peegeelee-pitta,

which means long

meaning.

Bulbul, and in Tamool,

it is

Walkonddlatee, which has the same

signifying the king of heayen.

In Malyaluin I was informed

called

by a name

vin

.'///it^/fJ

/rrru/u
f,,,i,..i

'v /.iZ/ur .Ci^AS-*l"i/t%i^'

ORB. INSESSORES.
TRIBEDENTIROSTRES.
FA3f.

MERULID^.

GENUS TURDUS.

PLATE
TURD US

Fill.

WARDIIJerdo7i.

PIED THRUSH.
I
this curious

am indebted

to

my friend

S.

N. Ward, Esq. M. C.

S., for

the only specimen of

Thrush, I kave yet seen.

It

was procured by him in the table-land of Mysore

immediately below the Segoor pass of the Neilgherries, during the cool season
I

I regret that

know

nothing of

its

habits.
it

I have dedicated
I

to

Mr.

Ward

a keen and zealous Naturalist to whose researches

am akeady

indebted for several novelties, and from

whom
to

I hope to receive shortly a

still

further accession to the Peninsular Fauna.

Mr. Blyth

whom
it

forwarded for in-

spection the unique specimen I possess of this Thrush, thus speaks of

for

in his

Museum

report

September 1842.

"

A remarkably

coloured species from Mysore, connecting the Black-

bird group with the Oreocinclce of Gould."

Description.

General

colour black

eye-streak
all

and lower parts from the breast

the

white

upper

tail

coverts

banded black and white,

the lesser the end
of

wing

feathers

tipped white,

forming

a conspicuous patch on

wing

coverts,

a streak on the edge of the

greater coverts, and another on

the smaller

wing

feathers.

Sides

of

the

body banded with dusky black

on
the
^biH

tail

feathers

black, white tipped and edged,

most so

external feathers, diminishing to the

medial
feet

tail

feathers

irides
yellow.

dark

brown

yeUow,

dusky

at

the

base

above

legs,

and

claws

Length 9

Illustrations

of Indian Ornithology ;
4x%-

inclies

extent

14|

wing from

flexui-e

tail

3tV

tarsus
thii-d

ItV to sole

bill

at

gape
equal

ItV

to

forelicad

fifths.

"Weiglied

nearly

2J

oz.

quill longest

second

to tlie fifth

fii'St

rudinieutary

fourth

very slightly shorter than the

thii'd.

IX

^h^'^

^c<^^t^^A.x

Ti^ntffA/r^^a

R^MiU/iy-L i/*x. 0'MM'^f'''^i^'

O RJD.

GRALLATORES.
FAM. SCOLOPACID.^.
GENUS SCOLOPAX.

PLATE

IX.

SCOLOPAX NEMORICOLAHodgson.

WOOD SNIPE Do.

This
bii-d, tlie solitary

Snipe

of Sportsmen on the NeilgherrieSj

is

a cold wea-

ther -visitant to those hiUs^

and probably

also to other of the elevated table-lands of

South-

ern India, as well as to the snmmit of the wooded ghauts.

several large or
'

I have

been informed that

solitary snipe'

have been shot

at

times in different parts of the low country,

this

which most

likely

were of

this species.
its

Mr. Hodgson &st described*

range out of India

S?iipe
at

as a

Avinter resident in

Nepal.
it

Of

geographical

we have

present

no information, but

probably extends far North, and likewise towards the East.

is

On
tvs'o

the Neilgherries the solitary Snipe

or three dozens being in general shot

by no means abundant, seldom more than

It

during the whole season,

frec[uents

the

sTdrts of the

dense woods on the

is

hills,

generally near a

swamp

or

marshy ground,
driven from a
flies to

or a run-

ning stream, and

never flushed in the open ground, and

if

when
It

wood always
any distance,

seeks the shelter of a bush

no other wood be

at

hand.

seldom

taking advantage of the nearest aA'ailable place of reiuge.

Its flight

is

not very rapid and

indeed rather heavy.

it

Though

so little larger than the

common
which

Snipe,
it is

its

broad wings give

more the appearance of a Woodcock on the wing,

for

invariably mistaken

by

a beginner.

Gleanings of Science,

No. 32

and Journal

Asiatic Society, Vol.

-vi,

page 490.

Illustrations

of Indian Ornithology

Description,

shall

here contcut myself vith saying that

iii

it differs

in coloring

from the common Snipe chiefly

the whole of the under sui-facc being barred.

Other
the

shades of difference will be better appreciated by comparing a

figuie here given, than

common Snipe

witli

by the most elaborate

description.

Dimensions.
T. Sj

Length
oz.

about ISj to

1.3

inches long

extent

19

of

wing 5^
;

bill

2A tarsus H I
weight 7

have generally found them about 5 j ounces heavy

Mr.

Hodgson

says,

I shall here transcribe part of

Mr. Hodgson's remarks on

this bu-d.
its

" This

in-

teresting species

forms by

its

size,

its

manners, and some points of

structure, a link

between the genera Scohjxix, and Gallinago, but deviates from both towards Rhynchcea,

by the feebleness of
longest.
Its

its

soft,

bowed and sub-gradated wings which have

is

the second quill

general structure
feet are

that of a Snipe,

but
It

its

bUl

is

"Woodcock's, and

the

legs

and

larger than in
is

GaUinago.

is shj-,

non-gregarious, avoids the

of the

open cultivated country, and

difference
interior

only found in the haunts

Woodcock, with
is

this

in

its

manners, as compared with those of Scolojmx, that

it

averse from the

of woods.
tertial

The wings
qudls
are

are usually fr'om

f to

inch less than the taU, and the

of the

prime and

equal.

The

tarsi differ fi'om those

common Snipe

in

that the scales, posteally are broken

on the mesial

line,

whereas they are

entii'e in that

bird."

.f^he^ATr/ftJ ffU.4ik'f'z^/n/>^^

Pr^irji^

^ .X.MCU-^i>^'^pt^-->

ORB. R A SO RES.
FAM. TETRAONIDjE.
GJSN.]

P TUB OGLES.
X.

PLATE
P TER GLES

Q UADRICINGTUS,

PAINTED ROCK GROUSE.

MALE.
Synon.
Pterocles quadricinctus,

Temminck,

Pig. et Gall?

Gelinote des Indes

Sonnerat
hicinctus

^Tetrao Indicus, Gmeliii

Perdix Indica, Latliam uEnas Indicus and

^.

of Vieillot (according to Lesson and Wagier.)

If the Pterocles quadricinctus

identical witli
0Vixl.Tidi\a.n

of

Temminck, an inhabitant of Senegambia, be

is

painted Rock-grouse, as
as

asserted in
habitat,

all

the systematic works I have

access to,

which give both Africa and India

the priority
;

its

than the specific name Indicus,

long ago employed, has

but, on comparing specunens lately with Wagler's

description, I found several points of difference,

and Wagier himself

V

says,

'

Is the bird

des-

cribed

by Sonnerat

really to

be referred

to this

Had

I noted this

sooner,

and before

the Plate was printed, I would have been inclined to have substituted the old term Indicus,

but

as our

Indian bird had been referred without any hesitation to quadricinctus by Colonel
all

Sykes, as well as by

systematists, I omitted

previously

to

compare

it

more

accurately.

As

it

is,

am now
it

inclined to consider our present Rock-grouse

a distinct species fi-om

Quadricinctus, and

wUl of course bear

the

name

of Pterocles Indicus.
is

This handsomely plumaged Rock-grouse

to

be found in
species.
is

suitable

localities

throughout India, but

exustus,

is

by no means

common

or

abundant

Unlike the Pterocles

which delights in the bare and rocky

plains, this bird

I

only to be seen in bushy and

Illustrations

of Indian Ornithology ,
of"

jungly ground, and prefers the neighbourhood

low

liills.

It is

always mot with

fliglit

in pairs.
It

and -when flushed,

sometimes,
Its
if

rises

with a low chuckling

call,

takes a very short

it

and

alights.

followed, runs a short distance, and

is

raised again

with great
that both

difliiult y.
tliis

food consists of various hard seeds, and the Jfatives invariably assert

and

the

common Rock-grouse
tliree

feed on

gravel alone.

It

breeds during the hot weather laying

two or

eggs of an olive colour, speckled with spots of olive brown and dusky, and of a
at

long cylindrical shape, equally rounded

both ends.

Its flesh is delicate

and well

flavoiu'cd.
it

Though

it

docs not occur in sufficient numbers to induce the Sportsman to follow

alone,

yet in beating the low jungles for other game, a pair or two arc occasionally flushed and
shot.

This bird and the Pterocles exustus are

oirr

known

to

Sportsmen in India by the name of

as inditati\-c

Hoch-pigeon,

present species
its

being distinguished by the epithet ])aintcd,

of the beauty of

markings.

In Hindustani they are named Burtoetur, the subject of In Teloogoo, they are called Pdankar, and

our Plate being called by some Hundoyree.

in Tamool,

Kul Koudaree

or Rock-partridge.

Description

MaleForehead and
yviik

sinciput pure white, with a broad black

band wing

between.

Back of head rufous yellow

black stripes

neck,

breast and lesser

coverts of a pale

tawny yellow, shaded with a greenish hue.

last

Three bands on the

breast,

the

first

marroon, the second pale yellowish, and the

dark chocolate
])alc

the

feathers

of

the rest of the lower ijlumage

banded dark chocolate brown and

;

yellowish

plumage
at the

above banded dark brown and rufous yellow

tip,

the larger

wing coverts rufous yellow

then with a band of a dusky or inky hue, next a white one, and then another fainter
this last

inky one on a pale dusky yellow ground,

another narrow white one.

inky band being sometimes edged by

Quills dusky,

edged with yellow

tail

banded brown and

feet

yellow

bin red

orbitar skin pale

lemon yellow

irides deep
3 extent

brown

legs and

ochre-

ous yellow.

Length about 10 inches

weight about 7 ounces.

wing 7|

tail

of ^ings neajiiy 21

inches

I intend to give a figui-e of the

Female bird in a futiu-e number of

the Illustrations.

XI

i:/^Ae fiCf-crnc^

^^m^?nMy^^

frt.>t/it/

lyLa^.^.

Cl/'.^li'^'''''^'";

ORD. INSESSORES.
TRIBE DENTIROSTRES.
FAM. LANIAD^.
SUB-FAM. CEBPLEPYRINE.
GEN. PH^NICORNIS.

PLATE

XI.

PHJENICOJRNIS FLA3IMEUS.

FIERY-RED BIRD.
MALE AND FEMALE.
Synon.

Muscicapa

Jlainmea, Temtn. P. C. 263

M.

Subfiava,

Vieillot?

Gobe mouche

oranor de

I' Isle

de Ceylon, Levaillant ?

Sayelee

Hindustani.
is

The genus

Plicenicornis
birds.

was separated by Swainson, and

I see, however, that

a very distinct and

weR

cliaracterized

group of

Mr. Gray, in his Genera of Birds,

to

considers Boie's genus Pericrocotus to be

synonymous and

have the

priority.

As how-

ever Swainson's
stni

name has now been

in considerable use in this country,

and

as there are

some doubts

as to the exact identity of several of these

supposed synonymous genera,

a Committee of Ornitholotill

I have for the

gists

present retained our countryman's

name

till

has finally fixed on the

name and

limits of

each genus, and

are fully

the

names imposed

by

oui-

own

Naturalists,

when they have a prior claim,

is

acknowledged by Foreigners.
Southern India.
I

This handsome bird

a denizen

of

all

the large

forests of

Illustrations

of Indian Ornithology

have seen

it

in Travancore,
its

Malabar, the ^Fynaad, and the forest skirting the base

ol"

the

Neilgherries on

Eastern face, but not in the Carnatic or Deccan, there being no forests

in these districts, except liere

find in tlic places

and there on the slope, and

hills, 1

at

the base of the Eastern ghauts,

v;iin
is

where

have traversed these

in

have looked in
its

for

it.

Towards

the

North of the Peninsula,

the jungles of

Goomsoor,

place

occupied by the
to

PhcEnicorms princeps and P. hrecirosfris of Vigors, which two species appear

extend
to

through Central India

seen
in

to the

Himalayas.

The

PJi(Bnicornis

fiammcus, though often

is

be

the

more

ojicn

and cleared spaces of the jungles,

It

never, that I have observed

met with away from

the woods.

ascends the sides of mountain ranges to a considerable

in the elevated region of

height, and I fancied was

more numerous
though rarely
It
is

Wynaad, than

in

most

other localities.

saw

it

in

woods on the summit of the NcUgherries, but

only at their Northern

face.
its

a tolerably

common and abundant

species in

its

appro-

priate haunts, and, from

bright and showy colours, attracts the notice of most travellers

through the
It

lofty

forests of

Western

India.
it

keeps chiefly to the tops of high trees, where

may be

seen usually in small

flocks, frislcing

about, picking an insect off a branch or leaf, or occasionally catching one in

a continual whistling call.
Its

the

air.

The males keep up

food seenxs to consist chiefly of

coleopterous insects.

The Gohe mouche oranor

d'Afriaue, Plate 155, and
this species,

de

I'Isle

de Ceylon figured by Levaillant in his

VieiUot, appears to

Oiseaux

named Suhfava by
it

me

to

be very probably

though I see that Lesson refers

to his

genus Muscylca, and makes it synonymous

are referred to his genus Acis

with Gmelin's Hufiventer, while

M.

miniata, and

M. jlammea

which

is

the same I believe as Pheenicornis.

Should

this conjecture

be correct, Subflaca

would have the

priority of /?a;MOTm I suppose, unless indeed the P//. _/?a?n?/eMs of Swain-

son or Temminck's

M. jlammea prove

distinct

from

tlie

species of

Southern India, figured

that

here

which I suspect may be the

case,

as

Mr. Blyth informs me

the

P. Jtammeus

figured in Swainsoii's Zoological Illustrations, appears to differ somewhat fi'om

my speciinenfi

of presumed Jlammeus.
I

can add nothing

to

the

knowledge

to

be gained from an examination of the

as follows.

accompanying Plate, except by giving the dimensions of the bird which are

Length 8

to

85 inches,

wing 3tV

tail 4,

tarsus
-j-V,

bill at front

Tutbs.

Besides P. princeps, and P. bremrostris of Mgors, previously mentioned as having been procured by

me

in

Goomsoor, there are others foimd on the Continent of

ludisi

which I

shall briefly

enumerate here.

Phanicornis Flammeus.
Phesnicornis roseus

Muscicajm rosea YieSlot,

young
of

N. D.

d'Hist. Nat.

21, p. 486.

had considered
some

this bird

as the

Jlammeus
first

or

hrevirostris,

although I recognised
its

peculiarities of structuie, but

Mr. Blyth

pointed out to lae

it

distinctness.

It is

foimd in the neighbourhood of Calcutta and I obtained

specimens from Malabar.

ia

Goomsoor, and have seen

P. peregrinus
Sayelee

Parus
httle

peregrinus and Parus Malaharicus

Auctorum

Safli

H.
This well

known

bhd

is

more generally spread than any of the genus, and

often to be

instead of being

confined to forests,

is

met with

in

low jungle, gardens, and

avenues in

all

parts of the country.

A
of

sixth Continental species perhaps exists in the

Muscicapa erythropygia, No. 156

feet,

my Catalogue,

though

its

more depressed

bdl,

weaker legs and

and the mode of

as

variation in the female led

me

to class it as a Flycatcher, to

and in the same group

of

M. picata

of Sykes, wrongly referred

by me

M. hirundinacea

Temminck.

In

its

colours the

male

resembles most of the species of Phcenicornis,

except in having a white stripe on

difiers

the wings, and in some of the tail feathers.

The female

from the male in having

ashy brown instead of glossy black, and ciaereous white, where the male has bright orange
red.

The

irides also

are light coloured

but notwithstanding these sHght deviations, I

called

am

incliaed to agree with

it as

Mr,

Blji;li,

who

first

my

attention to the subject,

and consider

a species of Phcenicornis.

Another species of

this

genus, the P. miniata of authors to which Swaiason, errois

neously I imagine, refers P. hrevirostris,

said

by Lesson
and

to
is

have been sent from Bengal,

but

it

was originally described from Java

I believe,

most probably a species peculiar

to the

Malayan
I

countries.

am

indebted

to

my friend

Mr.

Ward for

the sketch from which this drawing was

made,

XM

RD RAPTORES.
TRIBE FALCONID M.
FAM. FALCONING.
GEN. FALCO.

PLATE

XII.

FALCO SHAHEEN.

THE SHAHEEN FALCON.

YOUNG MALE.
Synon.
Falco Shaheen, Jeidon, Madras Joiu-nal of Literature and Science
29.

XXIV. Catal.

No.

F. Aldrovandi of

tlie

Supplement

to

my

Catal., not F.

Aldrovandi of Temminck

F. Sultaneus, Hodgson MSS.

Shaheen in Hindustani,
tlie

F. Ruber Indicus, Brisson Encyclop. Method, page 129.

male Koela

Jawolum in Teloogoo,
noticed

Wulloor ia Tamool.

This

fine falcon
to,

was I beKeve

fii-st

by myself

in the Catalogue of Indian

a specific one.
at Calcutta,

Birds above alluded

son,

and the Hindustani name

it,

affixed to

it as

Mr. Hodgunder the

though he has not described

lately sent it to the

it

Museum

manuscript name of Sultaneus, which, being, as

were, a Latin translation of the native

name, I would have adopted had I not previously had

I learn also

my own name
to

printed on the Plate.

&om Mr.
to

Blyth, that

it

was long ago known

and figured by Buchanan.

it

Mr.

EDiot in a note

my description

of the Shaheen, says, that he considered

is

to

be the Falco

Aldrovandi of Temminck, which

the

F. severus of Horsfield, and accordingly, in the

it

Supplement
given in

to

my Catalogue,

I referred to

under that name, statiag that the

size

as

Griffith's

Cuvier bad misled me, for that otherwise the description appeared to

Illustrations

of Indian Ornithology
of a

large falcon used

will

by the

natives, which, hoing

more

patient

and docile

disposition,

stay

up above an hour.
In the works on Falconry I have before alluded
to,

the

name Shaheen
India.

is

said to be

that

by which

it

is

known

in Persia, as well as

among

the

Mussulmen of
all

Kohee being
comes

the

name given name

it

by the Hindoos of the North of

India, whence, iu

probability,
it

the

of the male bird in general use, viz. Koela, or Kohela,

though

is

said to be

called Shaheen

Bucha

in Persia.

It is said to

bear the
it

name

of Lahecn in Toorkistan, and

Kubursh

in Arabic.

Among

the localities for

given in the Native works of falconry are

Several
^-arietics

Koordistan, Khorasan, Moultan

and Cabool.

are enumerated viz. the

red, the white, the blue, and the black, but these are merely shades of difference in the

colours and in the

more or

less distinctness
tliis

of the markings.

These

variations,

however,

may remark,

are very considerable in

falcon, as well as in the peregrines

to the

found in India,
so speak, of in the

and are probably in some measure owing

these birds, as
it is

long domestication,

if I

may

well

known

that birds moulting in confinement vary

somewhat

shades of their plumage fiom those subject to the more vigorous actions of a wild state of life.

Description.

shall

here content myself with giving a description of the young

Shaheen, and a very brief account of its changes, as I

am

waiting for further information

on the subject, and purpose giving in a future Plate, a figure of the adult bird, when I will

add a

fuller

and more

accui-ate account of its

changes of plumage than I

am

at present

enabled

to give.

Young Male

Plumage

above generally of a dark cinereous, or dusky blackish

hue, darkest on the head, hind neck and cheek stripe

most of

the feathers are narrowly

so.

edged with rufous, those on the lower part of the back and rump more broadly
is

There

some rufous on the forehead, and on the back of the head where

it

forms a sort of crucial

mark.

Tail paler than the rest of the body, faintly barred with rufous, and tipped the same

Chin
dark

and

tlu'oat

pale rufous yellow, unspotted

cheeks

of the same

tint

with narrow

stripes.

The

rest of the

plumage beneath bright rufous or chesnut, with longitudinal

dark brown markings on the centre of the body, oblong spots on the sides, and aiTow

shaped markings on the lower part of the abdomen.

with brown;
quills,

Under

wng
and

coverts

rufous

barred
tip

barred with rufous on thch inner webs.

yellow

Bill blueish,
feet

darker at the

cere and skin pale inches ^wing U 5g

orbitar
tail

irides dark brownlegs

S centre
toe

yeUow.
lib.

Length 15

tarsus nearly

and

claTV

^2

weight

The ShaJieen Falcon.

young female I had

differed

alive at the

same thne

as the

one from which the above

description was taken,

from the male in having the chin, throat and cheeks white,

in the rufous edgiags to the feathers being very indistiact,

and the plumage generally being

of a darker hue.

Length of
After the
the lower

a female 17| to 18 inches

weight

lib., lOoz.

first

moult, the markings of the lower surface disappear, except a few on

part of the

abdomen and

leg feathers, the

plumage above becomes more of

blueish tinge, and the edgings and barrings disappear

with further
slaty blue,

moultings the shade

of the

plumage above becomes

still

lighter,

and of a

the

markings beneath

vanish entirely, and the rufous

tiut of the breast

becomes paler.
li\'ing

The accompanying

figure

was taken from a

bii-d

had

for

some time in

my possession at

Madras.

ADDENDUM.
J.

HE

Falco guttatus of G.
llj

II.

Geat,

recently* described in
to

tlie

Annals and Magaall

ztne

of iVa^Mr?^s^ry,Tol.

page 371j appears

me tote
tlie

identical witli, or at

events very closely allied to,

my

Falco Shaheen.

It is

from

Phillipine Islands.

May

1843.

XIU

Cf^/et^e/^-u^

^e^^^et./c J

J^4ifryf,/^ Jy^/'jyrjo d.V,V?K/ />;?,VVV

ORD. LJTSESSORES.
FAM. CEATEROPOBINjE.

GEN. CRATEROPUS.

PLATE

XIII.

CRATEROPUS DELESSERTI.

WHITE BREASTED BABBLER.

Synon.

C. Delesserti,
The

Jerdon

Madras

Journal Literature and Science, No.

25

Catal.

No.

88. C. Griseiceps

Delessert.
to

genus Crateropus of Swainson appears

have been

first

defined

by M.

Lesson
the

as Gar/'wfoa;*,

and has

also,

though subsequently

to Swainson's definition, received

name

of Xanthocincla from

Mr. Gould.

In

my

catalogue of Indian Birds published

in the

Madras Journal

I ventured to join
as identical
;

these three

synonyms, and I see that they have

been generally recognised

but the name given by Lesson has been preferred,

having been bestowed prior

to the others,

and the

late rules acted

on by Gray, Strickland

and others have enforced

this has the first

law of Zoological nomenclature.

first

The white

breasted Babbler was

named by myself in

the Catalogue before

alluded to from a single specimen obtained

gherries,

by M. Delessert whilst

collecting

on the Neil-

and which that Gentleman kindly lent

me

for inspection.

Mr. Blyth informs me

that in the

Revue Zoologique, 1840

and in the 'Souvenirs de voyage dans L' Inde' published

is

by M.

Delessert, subsequently to the appearance of my Catalogue, this species

described

as C. Griseiceps.

I have never myself

a most zealous

been fortunate enough

naturalist has

to

procure a specimen, but

Lord Arthur Hay,

and enthusiastic

very recently obtained one,

which he shot on the Coonoor Ghaut of the Neilgherries.

The

species of this genus appear to be chiefly confined

to the

to the

wooded regions of

Northern India, and the countries

Eastward, and no

less

than 30 species are recorded

Traile d' OrnitholOEie 1831 page 647.

Illustration of Indian OrnithoJogi/.

by Vigors, Gould, Hodgson, Blyth and others,

bouring countries, whilst
species of Southern India.
this

as inhabitants of the

Himalayas and neigh-

and

my

Crateropus Cachinna7is are the only hitherto recorded

affinity of

Mr.

Blyth remarks the close

our present

subject to

Gularis.

The manners

of the C. Cachinnans, the only

member

of this group

have myself

observed, are something srailar to those of the other genera of this family, but
social

much

less

than the

Malacocirci, which are apparently the most typical of the group.

is

The

Laughing Thrush
at

sometimes seen in small

flocks,

but often wanders about alone, though

it

no great distance from some of its species, with

it

whom

continually keeps

up

a noisy

comIt

munication as signal of the direction

inhabits the

is

going, or of the abundance of food obtained.

densest woods on the

summits of the Neilghcrries, keeping

chiefly to the

lower branches of trees and brushwood, and feeds principally on fruit especially on the
pleasant fruit of the Brazil cherry (Physalis tomentosa),

now

so

abundant in most of the on

caterpillars

woods

in the

neighbourhood of Ootacamund.

It also occasionally feeds

and

other soft bodied insects.

I have

no doubt that our present species has some what similar manners, indeed
it

Lord A. Hay informs me " that

has

much

the same skulling habits as the C. Cachinnans."

I

The
ed.

nidification of

any of the Crateropi has not that

am

aware been yet recordthe

On

one occasion only I found the nest of C. Cachinnans on a bank overhanging

road on the top of the Nediwuttum Ghaut of the Neilghcrries It was

made of

roots, grass

and moss, and contained 4 long oval pure white

C. Delesserli.

eggs.

I shall

now add

a description of the

Description. Head, and nape dusky black rest of the plumage above dark rufous,

growing brighter on the upper

belly and vent bright
Bill

tail

coverts chin, throat and breast white, edged with grey

at

rufous Tail brownish black, brown

beneath

the base of the

feathers
4f

dusky above

yellow

legs

pale reddish
red.

Length

lOf

11 inch wing

Tail

4} Bill

(fiont)

1 Tarsus U. Irides

XIV

^iM<ie^a^'OC^ ZX^f>,^t.^^</^Z^

Jr'u<tMili^.LJf<.Q.^.K.iinaJi^e ^

OMl).

INSESSOMES.

FA 31. MUSCICAPIBjE.
GEN.

MU SCI CAP A.
XIV.
Jerdon.

PLATE

MUSCICAPA ALBICAUDATA.

NEIL GHERR Y BL UE FL YCA TCIIER

Synon.

M.

albicaudata Jerdon, Catal. No. 152.

as restricted

The genus Muscicapa, even

subdivided, and
fit

by Cuvier, has of

late

been considerably

when we

consider the varied nature of its contents, apparently with bene-

to science.

There are

in

India several Flycatchers, whose prevailing tint

is

blue, of various

shades and intensity,

among which more

or less structural

differences exist.

These Mr.
-

Blyth divides into several groups, each of which has one or more representative in South
ern India. Muscicapa hanyumas of Horsfield, together with

my M.

pallipes. Cat.

No. 149,

and three

or four species

from Northern India, Mr. B.

classes

under the name of Cyornis

my M.

superciliaris Cat.
classes as
I

No. 153, together with one

;*

or

two more very pretty diminutive

of the

species he

Muscicapula

whilst the subject

acccompanying plate with

M.

Mela7iops, and

think also

M Indigo of Horsfield,
bill

constitute his genus Stoparola.

They

differ generally

from the other blue Flycatchers of India in their more stout and robust habit,
being shorter, wider at the base, and more depressed,

stronger legs and feet, and in their

and perhaps

also a little

more hooked

at the tip.
is,

The Neilgherry blue Flycatcher

as tar as it is yet

known, confined

to the

woods

on the summit of the Neilgherries, and the

in considerable

forests

on the edges of these

hills.

It occurs

number here,frequenting the higher branches

of tree3,occasionally seen single,

Joun. As. Soc. Vol.

XH.

p. 9.19.

Illustrations of Indian Ornilholog'j.

but not unfrequently in small parties.

the Indian
flitting

It is

much more restless and

active in its habits than

members of the genus

Butalis, the
its

most fixed and sedentary of all, or of Cyomis,

position

about constantly, and changing in

more frequently than

which
last

these, indeed

more

like the Mnscipetce, Leucocircce

and Muscicapa

ccerulea,

has

much

of the ha-

bits of the Fan-tailed Flycatchers.

None

of these ho^fever are seen in groups like the present

one,except perhaps

now and then

the Leucocircae. I do not

I discovered
its

remember

to

have ever heard the

note of the Neilgherry blue Flycatcher.

nest twice, built in a slight hole

for-

on a steep earthern bank on a road

saken their nests.

side,

but did not procure the eggs, both birds having

Its food consists of various insects

which

it

usually takes on the wing, but

now and then

snaps off a branch.

Description.

Of

a deep Indigo blue colour, paler on the lower part of the back, and

inclining to lazuline on the forehead, and shoulders

belly ashy blue mingled with whitish;

tail

under

tail-coverts whitish,

barred with dusky blue

tail,

wings and

dusky black, the feathers

;

edged with blue, and those of the

legs black
;

centre feathers excepted, white at the base

bill

and
Tar-

Irides

deep brown. Length

6 6|
to

inches

Wing

3,'.

expanse of do 9^, Tail

2,^

sus 1th Bill at front ^th.

Weighs from 12

14 drams,4th and 5th quills equal and longest.

tint of the

The female
aud the young male

diflfers

from the male in the more sombre and ashy

plumage,

is

spotted throughout with pale rufous.

XV

C?riff/e,f4

^i>/u njij

*./^/

ly

Ltt^/f^l/kt^tvi'MMfVi

ORD. IJYSESSORES.
FAM. MERULID^.
SUB-FAM. ORIOLIN^.

GEN.

BIOL
XV.

US.

PLATE

ORIOLUS INDICUS.

INDIAN BLACK NAPED ORIOLE.

When
of authors as
I first compiled

my

Catalogue of Indian Birds I inserted Oriolus chinensis

Elliotj that

a peninsular species

on the Authority of Mr.

Gentleman having

obtained specimens
country.

answering the description of that species in the Southern Mahratta

I have since procured specimens from Malabar

for the present

and Travancore, and had a

sinensis.
I

drawing of one executed

work under the name of 0.

have

however

lately seen

specimens from China and Manilla in the valuable collection of Lord

Arthur Hay, and

have

also

compared the description

I

of

Vigors'

0.

acrorhynchus

and Swainson's O. coronatus, and

species
is distinct

am now

compelled

to

conclude that our peninsular

from both these, and that moreover

to

acrorhynchus refers to the true

it

chinensis,

and coronatus

Wagler's, hippocrepis.

I have therefore given

the appellation

of Indicus, partly because I consider that the 0. Indicus of Brisson and others
refer to this

may

possibly

though

faultily described.

Specimens from ManUla now before

cription of his

me

correspond exactly with Vigors' des-

acrorhymkus,^s well

as

with the original description of cWe*i* and that

by Buffon oV Le Conliat an; and the

led to believe that

figure in the Planches

his

Enlumine^s.

am

therefore

Mr. Vigors had compared

from some of the
isle,

Manilla bird with specimens from

at the

peninsular India,

or

which he had considered

time as true

Ulustratiun of Iiidian OinUhidogrj.

chincnsis.

Our peninsular

species differs from the Chinese one in the following particulars. are broadly

It has a smaller bill, the secondaries

margined with yellow on

having the outer

their

external

webs, the innermost of these and the

whilst in chinensis these are

tertiaries

web

entirely yellow,

almost entirely black.

The

centre

tail

feathers in our bird

are black to their tip, being only faintly

margined with yellow,

rectrices

whilst

the

Chinese one

has a broad yellow

tip

and the remaining

;

have the black extending corresextends in our bird

little

pondingly further than in chinensis

the black ocular mark

it

to

the

nares, whilst in the Chinese specimens

only extends

beyond the angle of the

;

mouth

the band too

is

much narrower on

the nape in the Indian bird

is

the feathers of the

back have usually a

greenish tinge, and the yellow throughout

;

less

pure and bright

than in the Chinese bird

and

lastly the tail is considerably shorter.

Swainson's 0. coronatus
chine7isis, in

from Java
its

(as described)

differs

from our peninsular bird, and also from true

tail,

smaller size, shorter wings,

Its bill

and

tarsus,

and

in the

narrowness of the black nuchal

but shorter than in chinensis.
as

band.

appears to be somewhat larger than in ours,

Wagler's description of O. hippocrepis, which he considers the same

corresponds with
it

chinensis

auct.,

in the yellow tips

of the centre

tail

feathers,

and with our peninsular

bird in having the black ocular band extending to the nares, and in other points.

As how-

ever his specimens were obtained chiefly from Java and

Sumatra,

it

is

most probably

Swainson's coronatus, with which indeed

it

agrees in dimensions pretty nearly, as will be

seen in the accompanying table I give for the sake of comparison.

NAME.
O. Chinensis 0. Indicus

Total
length.

Wing.
6
6fo

Tail.

Bill
(front.)

Tarsus.

verus
Sw

vel.

acrorhynchus

101

44 4

Iflr

above
barely
r

apud Jerdon

m
91
9|

Coronatus

5^

31
31

ths.

O. Hippocrepis

Wagler(german. meas.).
O. cochinsinensis Brisson.,

5^

;iths.

The
1.

three black naped species will then stand thus.

0. chinensis L.,

Le Conliavan Buffon

P. E. 570.,

0. acror-

hynchus Vigors.

Hab. China, Manilla, Cochinchina &c.

0. coronatus Sv/&ia^on,0. hippocrepis

Wagler (synon.

except,.),

Hab. Java Sumatra,

Malayana.

Illuntration of

Indian Ornithology

3 O. Indicus Jerdon

III.

Ind. Orn.

pi.

xv. (0. sinensis on the plate) 0. Indicus Brisson.

Hab. Continental India,

The
except that
it

habits of this Oriole do not I

presume

differ

much from those

of

its

congeners,
It is

appears to be more especially a denizen of the depths of the

forests.

certainly a rare bird.

I

Mr Blyth
it

has not I believe obtained

it

from northern India

I

as yet,

and

do not

inow how

far

may extend

out of the peninsula.

need scarcely add anything

comparing
its
it

more descriptive of this bird than what has already been

allied species.
Its

said in

with the

biU appears to have been, like the others of

genus, of a lake red

the less

colour,

and the

feet

and

legs plumbeous.

The female appears

to

differ chiefly in

vivid tint of the yellow, in the greenish tinge of the back extending further, and in the

wings and
as follows.

tail

being of a

less

pure black. The other peninsular species of Oriole are

1st 0.

Kundoo, Sykes,

(the female), and probably O. galbula of the same,0. galbula

also O. galbu-

var. A.,
/oic*e*,

Latham, 0. aureus apud Jerdon Cat, No. 97, and of Blyth, probably
list

Gould, of a

of Birds from the Punjaub and Cashmere.

Comtnon Indian

Oriole,

Mango

bird of Residents in India.

This oriole
&c.
It has a loud

is

very common, inhabits the open country in groves, gardens, avenues,

lives chiefly

mellow note and

on

fruit,

and

also

on

soft

bodied

insects.

once found the nest of this species,

grass

it

consisted of a cup shaped nest slightly

made with

fine

and

roots,

and suspended from a rather high branch by a few long

fibres of the

same
it

material apparently as the nest itself ; these did not surround the nest but only supported

on two

sides.

It contained three eggs, white, spotted chiefly

at the

larger

end with large

purplish blotches.

2d 0. Melanocephalus,
are

auct. (0.

Maderaspatensis

auct.,

and 0. Mc. Goshii, Tickell

young

birds,)

Black headed Indian Oriole, chiefly found in Southern India in and about

forests,

but also occasionally in open country, in avenues, gardens, &c.

The
bird.

orioles are called in

'

Hindustani

'

Peeluk,' a

name merely

signifying yellow

In Teloogoo they ara called Vanga pandoo,' or Brinjalfruit, the black headed species

being sometimes distinguished by the epithet " Konda,' or Hill,

Latham

I see gives this

is

name, somewhat misspelt,

kee, which I see

as that of his O.
calls

Maderaspatensis.

The Malyalum name

Magna-

Latham

Magnalki.
as 0.

Swainson describes another black headed Oriole from India

neither Mr. Blyth nor myself have yet met with
it.

Hodsonii, but

XVI

iTfi^ra.

'/ji^ia

.7,^/.^Jy/,./Jl-refr^y''>'^^'

ORB, GRALLATOEES.
FAM. ARDEABJE.

GEN. ARDEA.

PLATE
ARDEA

XVI.
Lath.

FLAVICOLLIS.

YELLOW NECKED BLACK HERON.

Synon.

A. nigra

Vieill

A. picta^s.^.'i
handsome Heron
that I have as yet

When

I procured the only specimen of this

it

obtained, I referred
it

to

A. nigra of

Vieillot, (without

any hesitation) and had a drawing of

it

lithographed under that name.

1 did not then,

it

imagine that
is

could have been Latham's

JlamcoUis, either from his description, in which

said to be of a purple

brown colour,

or

from the figure in Gray and Hardwicke, where

it is

represented as being of a blue colour.

Mr. Blyth however assures me

as

that such

is

the case, and

Wagler

I see also gives these

name

synonyms.

The specimen from which the accompanying

Madras.
I

figure

was taken was procured

at

have never since got another, but Shikarees have told very
rare.
it

me

that they

know

the bird,

and that
that

it is

Mr. Blyth informs me

that

it

has been obtained

to the as

at Calcutta,
it

and
ap-

he has received

from Arracan, China, and other places

here. Horsfield gives
to

eastward, where

pears to be
tells

much more common than

it

Javanese, and Mr. Blyth

also gives

me

that

he considers A. picta of Raffles

be the same. Wagler

New

Holland

as its habitat.

know nothing if its

habits.

It is said to frequent the

more grassy and weedy tanks,

distinct local appellation.

and

to

shun observation.

It is too little
it

known here

to

have a

Mr. Blyth considers

conclusion
lie

as forming a subdivision of Butor, or the Bitterns,

which

came

to after seeing a fresh specimen.

llluslralions of Indian Ornithology.

Description.

Top

of head, back of neck,

body above, and wings .bright glossy green

black

beneath dull sooty black, some of the centre feathers of the abdomen partially tinged

with buff; a stripe of golden yellow rnns from the lower mandible to the back of the neck
about the lower third, where
it is

gradually lost ; chin, throat, and neck beneath, wliite, variat first

gated with deep chesnut and black, the feathers short

but gradually lengthening and

becoming lanceolate ; each feather has the outer barb and

tip black,

edged with creamy white,

is

and the inner barb chesnut ; the chin and throat want the black, and the white
tinge.

of a purer
to the

A narrow

stripe of close set feathers

run from the base of the lower mandible

;

ear-covcrts, black

and chesnut coloured, the bases of the feathers being white

the long fea-

thers of the breast are black,

edged with white on both

sides.

Length
3,^, at

2425
4.

inches

Wing 8|

Tail 2|, Tarsus 2|

Middle

toe 2|, Bill (at front)

gape nearly

Bill appears to

have been of a dusky reddish brown

bird
is

Legs dark green.

The smo-

The plumage of the young

further stage, I presume,
it

described as being of a saturate blue, and in a

gets the purplish

tail

brown

tinge described

by Latham.

ky

tinge described

by Horsfield, with the

deep blue, must be a bird in transition plumage.

XVll

LANll

ORB. LYSESSORES,
FAM. LANIAD^.

GEN.

LAN I US.
XVII.

PLATE

LANIUS NIGRICEPS.

BLACK-HEADED SHRIKE.
Synon.
L. antiguanus Gmel.
'

Piegrieche

d'

Antigue

'

Sonnerat voyage,

t.

70.

Indian

Shrike of Latham, No. 31.

L.nigriceps Franklin. L. tricolor Hodgs., Jerdon Catal.

No.

51.

When

in

Goomsoor some years ago

I obtained a single specimen of this Shrike,

locality.

and Mr. Blyth and Lord Arthur

Hay

have since procured examples from the same

the

At one time Mr. B. was doubtful whether

Himalayan bird was

identical with this, as

most of the specimens from Northern India had more rufous on the back than those from
central India,

but he has recently informed

it

me

that

he now considers them the same.

I have not

obtained

myself,
it

nor have

seen specimens, from any other part of the

than about N. L. 20.

peninsula, and I suspect that

does not occur further South

to

From
further,

thence

it

extends to the Himalayas, and Eastward

Arracan,

and probably

still

as Sonnerat's
'

specimens were procured, he alleges, from the Phillippine

isles.

The name

Antiguanus,^ (derived
to

from Antigue, a province

I

of Panay,

one of these

islands) being

liable to lead

error,

have retained be
a

Franklin's
forest

very appropriate name.

its

The black

headed Shrike appears

to

more

haunting species than

its

congeners, but
it

does not otherwise, that I

scends to the ground for
larvae.
I

am aware
its

of, differ

in

habits.

Like the other Shrikes

de-

food,

which

consists almost

wholly of grasshoppers and their

have not observed in any of the Indian species the reputed habit of impaling m.

sects

on thorns.

Illustration

of Indian
black,

Ornithology.

Description,

Head and hind neck

middle of back grey

portion of the

lower back and

;

rump
tail

rufous, which sometimes extends

over the greater

back

wings and

black, the secondaries

and

tail

feathers
sides of

(except the centre ones)

edged and tipped

Bill
'">,

wih reddish white.

and legs black.
Tars
1,^.

Beneath white
Irides deep

body, and under

to 10

tail

coverts, rufous.

brown.

Length about 9v

inches,

wing

.'J.^

Tail

The
1.

other peninsular species of Lanius are as follows

C. Lath.,

L. lahtora Sykes, L. excubitor var

Doodeea

latora,

Hind. This large

Shrike

is

an inhabitant of open low jungles throughout the country, and towards the more
peninsula
is

northern parts of the

plains.
It

found frequenting
is

bushes and low trees in the open

difficult

never approaches villages, and

is

a shy,

wary bird and

of approach,

and perhaps
2.

the least

numerous of any of the

species.

L. Erythronotus, Vigors.

Kufous backed Shrike.

is

This,

though occasionally
all

found in the more wooded parts of the country in the Carnatic

only at

common

in the

neighbourhood of the jungles of the west

Neilgherries.
o.

coast,

and

is

very abundant on the top of the

L. Hardioickii Vigors.

Bay backed Shrike

all

of Latham.

This enters gardens

and

is

the most generally spread of

4.

the Indian Shrikes.

pi. 74.,

L. cristatus L. after Edwards

L. rutilus var. A., and

L. superci/toms

var.

A.

of

Latham;
of

mc/anolis Valenc

perhaps also white cheeked

S. of

Latham,

and

phoenicurus

I'allas

(apud Latham.)

This species, only lately accurately

of Southern India,

defined,

escaped

my

notice

when

writing the Catalogue of Birds

having over-

looked

it

as the

young

of L.

Hardwickii.

Tt
oi'

is

found chiefly about hedge rows, and deand

I

tached trees in the more cultivated parts migratory in the South of India.

the country,

am

inclined

to

believe

is

The L.
Hodgson,
is

tephronoius

of Vigors, grey backed

Strike of

Latham.

/-.

nipalc/isi! of

not found in the South of India.

XVffl

^^t^!igtrrnlii

Ci/A^>**^iru3^'>

Punf^

-6y LM^Ct'Jff^^'""'/'''

ORB. INSESSOHES.
TRIBE SCANSORES.
FAM. PSITTACIB^.

GEN. PALMORNIS.

PLATE

XVIII.

PALJEORNIS COLUMBOIDES

Vigors.

BLUE WINGED PARROQUET.

Synon.
P. melanorTiyntlia Sykes, (the female,) Jerdon Cat. No. 203.
to

This elegantly coloured Parroquet belongs

the division long ago

characterised

by Vigors, which seems peculiar

India, and which
is,

to the Asiatic province,

more

especially to the continent oi

with the exception of Psittaculus, the only form of this family

several well

known

in India, and comprises I

marked

species.

Previously to

obtaining

this bird*

had heard from

several sportsmen of a blue parroquet said to be

I first procured
it

common

in the

depths
other
feet.

of the forests of Malabar.

localities

at Trichoor,

and afterwards

in various

on the West
has

coast,
it

and on the

sides of the Neilgherries

it

up

to a height of

5000

As Colonel Sykes

in his

Catalogue,

probably extends along the range of western

its

ghauts for some distance, but I have not heard of

locality.

having been procured in any other

It
Its flight is

keeps entirely

to the

depths of the forests, and frequents only the

it

loftiest

trees.

very rapid aud elegant, and

associates in small flocks.

Its cry,

though similar

in character to the harsh caU. of the

common
this

Parroquet,

is

much more mellow, subdued, and

;

agreeable.

have only once seen

bird in captivity

it

would however be

very de-

sirable addition to our aviaries.

I

have not seen the description of P. Columboides by Vigors,which

is

in the Zoologi-

cal Journal,

but from Sykes' comparative description of his melanorhyncha, I have no doubt

Ulustralions of Indian Ornithology.

that ours

is

that species,

Sykes' bird being the female, which appears always to

that

retain the

black

bill,

and Mr- Blyth informs me

the adult female of P. ponticerianus also has the

beak black-

The Hindustani name Muddengour

by one Shikaree, but
name, and I presume
in
it

Totah, was applied to a specimen of this bird

is

Latham's work I see that the P. ponticerianus

known by
is

that

was incorrectly applied

in

my

case, as the

columboides

a species

of such comparative local distribution.

Description.

Male. Plumage generally of a light dove colour

a black collar

extends round the neck, widest beneath and reaching to the base of the lower mandible,

and bordered posteriorly by a

back,

light blueish green

collar; face pale

;

green; lower part of

rump and upper

tail

coverts also light green

wing coverts dark green edged with

yellowish white; shoulders blackish green; lower part of

abdomen and under

tail

coverts

very pale yellow green

white
;

quills

and centre

tail

feathers blue, the latter tipped with yellowish

the rest of the

tail

feathers green on the outer side, yellow on the inner side of the
side.

shaft, those

next the centre feathers almost blue on the outer

Irides pale yellow.

Bill coral red above,

to

dusky beneath.

Legs and

feet

plumbeous.

Length 15

16 inches.

Wing

5| to 6,

Tail 8 J to 9.
differs in

The Female

having a dusky black

bill,

and in the plumage generally

being more tinged with green.

The
in Southern

other Indian species of Palsornis are, 1st P. Alexandri, Race Totah H. Rare
in

India Common

Ceylon

I obtained

a specimen in Travancore

which was
found
it

struck by a Shaheen f Falco ShaheenJ and was dropped on

my

firing at

it.

I also

breeding in the hole of a large tree in the north of the Deccan.

2d P. Torquatus, Lyber

Totah H. Abundant over

grain.

all

India, feeding not only on fruit, but also very destructive to

3d P. cijanocephalus

L.,

P. bengalensis, erythrocephalus , and gingianus Auct. Tooeeah

the jungly districts

Totah H.

An

inhabitant of
It visits the

all

of India,

and
.July

also
to

found about well

Other

wooded towns.

open country

in large flocks

from

September.

species found in the Himalayas are P. schistaceus,

Hodgson, and P. ponticerianus Auct.

XIX

'ac.tnn*ci^^ ??ut/a

-Of^-^nu/j,

/'/-**i^j^

/v

.:./>**./'/ 'A''^-

ir^'

FA 31. CRATEROPODINJE.
GEN.

MALACOCmCVS.
PLATE XIX.

MALACOCIRCUS GRISEUS.

WHITE HEADED BABBLER.

Synon.

Tardus griseus Latham.

the

Thimalia grisea Jerdon Cat. No. 93.

continent, there are

Among

many

birds

peculiar to this vast

it,

none, in

my

opinion, so peculiarly characteristic of

is

as that

genus of which the species here figured,

is

by no means an inconspicuous member.

The Mynas, it

true, the Parroquets,

and the

Drongo

Shrikes, are spread over the same extent at least, but none of these exclusively
at

Inhabit India, as these birds are

in imagining that they are not
their frequent congregating

present believed to do.

I have often
;

amused myself
as
far as

inapt representatives of the Hindoos

certainly

together, and their incessant noisy chattering

and gabbling,
I

they agree

and were

disposed to

carry on the similitude

further,

it

would not

think

be

a difficult task.

It is not a little

remarkable too that in Southern India there are several

kinds which in some measure correspond in geographical distribution with the principal

Hindoo

races of this part of the country.

We

have the

M. Malcobni
to,

in the country of the

at
all

Mahrattas; the subject of the present plate nearly confined

and

events most

abundant in the Carnatic, the country of the Tamools

a very closely allied species inhabits

;

Travancore and Cochin, the province of the Malyalum race

species
is to

it is

probable that a fourth

forests

be found in the Canarese

;

districts

one or perhaps two species dwell in the

eastern ghauts,
distinct

bordering the western ghauts

another prefers the

;

and jungles of the

;

northern

circars,

among

the Gentoos

Ceylon possesses a

kind

Bengal has

at least

Illustrations of Indian Ornithology

one or two more

and the elevated

forests of the

Wyiiaad, and the edges of the higher

mountains of the Western ghauts, are the habitat of a very distinct species, somewhat allied
in colouring to the Craieropi,

which curiously enough

at a

higher level inhabit the

limited

same
in the

regions, to the exclusion of the

Malacocirci, though in very

number, whilst

North of India species of the former genus abound, and descend

plains.

I believe, nearly to the

The genus Malacocircus was

Illustrations,

first

defined

by Swainson,
It is

in

his

Zoological
its

and was founded on a species

bill,

firom

Ceylon.

distinguished by

high

and compressed
and
soft
t;iil,

gradually arching from the base, soft

bowed wings,

large broad

strong legs and feet, light coloured irides, usually white or pale yellow, and

sombre and uninviting plumage.

The white headed Babbler

is

found throughout the Carnatic, extending on the

one side into the Northern Circars, and on the West into the neighbouring portions
of the table land, to a greater or less distance.
Carnatic, and
is

It is

extremely

common and abundant

in the
its

to

be found in every hedge, avenue, and garden.

six, seven,

Like the others of

;

genus

it

always associates in families of

eight or

more

even in the breeding

season the parent birds feeding in company with their former companions.

One may be

seen suddenly dropping to the ground from some tree, and

is

followed in succession, though

perhaps not immediately, by each of the

flock.

They hop

about, turning over fallen leaves,

and examining

all

the herbage around the base of trees, a very favorite spot, or on a

to

hedge

side,

never venturing

any distance from cover, being aware of

their

tardy

powers of flight.

They

are occasionally seen seeking insects or grain, from heaps of dung,

their

whence they have received

merde,)
as

common denomination

as

well from the French,

(Fouille-

from the English, (Dirt bird,) who are on this account prejudiced against them.
little

They
a

generally feed at some

prize

distance apart from

out,

each other, but

will

now and then

if

richer

than usual

is

spied
will

two or more

meet and struggle

for it

and now and then, one of them

safety

make

a clumsy flight after a grasshopper,

its

seeking

by

its

wings, and not unfrequentiy eluding

it

awkward

pursuer.
satisfied,
if

On
they

being driven
fly

from the ground, or leaving

nearest
tree,

from choice, their hunger being

up

to

the

hopping and climbing up the larger branches, and

till

you happen

to

be

watching them they do not stop

they
fly off in single

they have reached the top, or the opposite side whence

file

and extended

as

before.

They

often appear to pick insects off

Malacocircus Griseus.

tVie

branches of
if

trees.

They

are familiar, if undisturbed,

feeding often

close to

houses,

but

-watched or follo\yed,
is

they become circum.spect, disperse,

and hide themselves.

all at

Their cry

a loud slbllous or whispering sort of chatter, which

feeding, or

they repeat

once,

sometimes

when

when any unusual

all.

sight attracts their attention,

and often with-

out any apparent object at

They have no

song.

Their

flight is

slow and laborious,

performed by a few rapid strokes of the wings alternating with a sailing with outspread
pinions.

I have often found the nest of this bird, which

is

composed of small twigs and

;

roots carelessely
it

and loosely put together, in general

blue eggs.
I have found
if

at

no great height from the ground

at all

lays three

or four

them breeding

times from

January

to July,

and even later, but do not know

they ever have two broods in the year.

The

black and white crested Cuckoo, (oxxjlophus edoliusj appears to select this
foster parent to

bird to act as
are

her

own progeny, and

she lays a greenish blue egg.

They

readily

caught by a spring trap baited with grain, with one of their kind put in the centre as a lure.

The Shikra

or

Chipka,

( Accipiter badiusj
After the
first

is

sometimes flown at them, and causes

gabbling,

a general consternation.

burst of alarm and

like the

they cease their

Babbler, (M. mal-

chattering, separate,

and disperse, and do not,

rescue of their unfortunte

bolder Mahratta

colmi)

come

to the

companion.

This

latter species often

mobs

the Shikra.

The white headed Babbler

Teloogoo, in Tamool
species
is
'

is

called

Keyr

in Hindustani,
bird,'

Ckeenda or Seeda in
allied

KuUee Kooravee'

or

'

hedge

and in Malyalum the

called I

'

Kooleyan.'

add a brief description.

General shade of plumage light brownish grey, head

and nape yellowish white, more marked in some than in others,

lightest

feathers of the back dark,

a

on the

shaft

and the edges, rump

feathers

pale

fawn, feathers of the chin and

throat dark in the centre, with the base and extremity blueish white, forming
distinct

band very

from the surrounding plumage.

Breast,

abdomen, and under

the

tail

coverts pale

yellowish fawn colour.

Most of the

feathers especially

back and rump, are much

tail

decomposed, and are blueish white

at their base.
at

Quills and
their

brown
to

obsoletely barred

with darker bands, central tail feathers light

4^, Tail 4J, Tarsus 1^,

base.

Length 9
i^th.

9 inches.

Wing
7ths.

Hind

toe

and claw

^ths.

Bill (at front)

at

gape about
color.

Irides pale yellow white.

Bill

and legs pale yellowish with a tinge of flesh

The

other species of Malacocircus found in the peninsula are as follows 1st

M.

Illush-ations of Indian Ornilhologij ;

afinis,

new

species. This is the

one before alluded

bill,

to, as

being very closely allied

is

to grtseus.

It differs

most remarkably in the form of ihe

which

shorter, higher at
it is

the

base,
to

and

if

any thing more compressed. With regard

to coloration
less

very similar indeed

the

Carnatic one.

The white on

the head

is

perhaps

pure, and
feet

the

band on the

tliroat less

dark, but these are the chief points of difference.

The

and claws are however someis

what larger

in this,

more

especially the hind foot

and claw, which

4,',,

about
Ip,,

one tenth of

an inch longer than griseus.

claw
-sths,

Length 9
";,

to 9^,

Wing

Tail 4^, Tarsus

Hind

toe

and

Bill at front

hardly

at

gape 8

Jjths,

height at base nearly ^.

have

at

present two

specimens of

this bird
bill

from Travancore, but they agree

legs,

with each other very closely in the form of the

and in the structure of the

the most essential points of difference from griseus.

This
]\Ir.

may be

the same as the Canarese variety which I long ago pointed out from

Elliot's

M.

S. S. notes as

being probably distinct from griseus,

but

tlicre

are certain

points of difference in the description,

species.

and

it is

pos^sible that this

may

constitute
chin, and

another
throat
;

Mr.

Elliot

describes

the species

as
;

follows.

Plumage above,
;

brown cinereous,
tail

shaft of the

feathers lighter
;

head and nape whitish

the head.

rump

cinereous

brown with

indistinct darker bars

belly

whitish like
it

Irides silver

white.

Bill

and legs white, Length 94 inches.

of EllioUi.
!3nd

Should

prove distinct 1

would propose the

name

M. Malcomi, Tkimalia 3Ialcomi Sykcs, Jerdon

Cat.

No.

90.

Gai-rulus albi-

frons,

Gray and Hardwicke.

On my

pointing out to Mr. Blyth that the figure under the

at

above name in Gray and Hardwicke was probably that of a Malacocircus, that gentleman
once agreed with me,

and moreover pointed out

It is possible

its

probable identity with

that
is

jt/.

Malcomi

of

which

had sent him specimens.

however

the drawing

may

represent

an allied species of Northern India.*

in jungles, in the Carnatic,

This large babbler

found, though rarely and only

;

and here

chiefly towards the range of Eastern ghauts

saw

it

atCoonoor on the Neilgherries, and M. Delessert showed

hills

me

specimens from the Siiervaroy

tlie

near Salem,

but

its

chief metropolis

is

the

North western portion of

Deccan

or

Table land, including the Southern Mahratta country, the Deccan of Sykes, and generally
1

may

here remark Uiat the late exceUei)t rules for Nomenclature drawn up bj (Jray Strickland and others do not provide

for a case like the present, viz,

to a published descTiptwri.
1

whether the name attaehed

this

to

a published Jlgure hold precedence or otherwise, of a

name attached

On

point depends the correct fpceific

name

of

many

of the birds figured ^in

Gray and llardMicko, and

beg

to

draw

the at tentiun of the above

named

Zoologists to

it.

Malacoctrcus Griseus.

the Mahratta portion of the Nizam's dominions, not extending further than the boundaries of the trap formation, which curiously enough divides the Mahratta and the Telinga races, the latter

commencing nearly with the granite formation which extends through the eastern
In
all

part of the Nizam's dominions.

the district mentioned above the

M. Malcohni is

as

common
clump of

as the
trees.

M.

griseus

is

in the Carnatic,

being found near every village, and in every

congeners, and
flies

It is

much more

noisy than

its

generally in larger flocks,

twelve and fifteen being a

common number.
It is called

I have found the nest

and eggs which closely

in Teloogoo,

resemble those oi griseus.

Ghoghoye in Hindustani,

Gowa Seeda

and sometimes Verree cheenda, or mad Babbler.

3rd M. Somermllei, Thimalia Somercillei,
Cat.

Sykes P. Z.

S.

1832, not of Jerdon

No.

91.

Thus described by Colonel Sykes.

light

Eeddish brown

abdomen, vent, lower

;

back and
the

tail,

rufous, the

latter

obsoletely

banded with darker

quills

brown
and
:

feathers

of the throat
9^-

and breast marked in the middle with blueish,

Bill

feet

yellow.

Length

Tail 4i, Irides bright yellow.

to 20").

Found

in the ghauts only (viz

in the

more Northern portion about N. L. 17"

4th.

M. malaharicus new

species?

M.

Somercillei Jerdon

Cat. No.

91.

Now
they
to

that I

am

better acquainted

with the birds of this genus, and

hesitation in separating the bird

know how

closely

approximate,
Somervillei.

I have
It differs

little

which I formerly referred

from that species, as described by Sykes, in having the back of a

part of the back

cinereous

brown

instead of a reddish brown, and in the lower

this respect

and

tail

not

being rufous.

In

Sykes'

bird approaches somewhat to

tail.

M. Earhi

of Biyth,

the only one I have seen with a rufous

Should however the description of Somervillei

it,

be faulty, mine

may

yet prove to be identical with

as they

both inhabit the western ghauts,

forests of

though in

different latitudes.

My
^.

species

is

found in the
hills.

Malabar, and on the

dimentions.
Bill

sides of the
9.i or so

Neilgherries up to the very edge of the

i^o'^h.

add

its

Length
front)

Wing

Tail

Tarsus

lrths.

Hind

toe

and claw

fjths.

(at

nearly

roths, at

gape

1 inch.

5.

M.

orientalis,
is

new

species

Another species referred by me

to the Somervillei

of

my

Catalogue

found in the jungles of the Carnatic, and more especially among those of
it is

the Eastern ghauts, where

diff'ers

very

abundant,

whence the name

tint

have proposed. plumage,

It

from the

last,

malabaricus, in the prevalent lighter

of the

especially

beneath, where

it is

almost white, contrasting strongly with the rufous tint of the other

Illustrations of Indian

Ornithohgy

the

tail

feathers too are not so wide as in

malabaricus, a similar difference

affinit

existing, I

find

on comparing specimens, between griseus of the East coast and

I

of the

West, which

had not previously observed.

This bird

is

the

Pcdda

oi

^rfat-cc AVerfa of the Telingas.

Ij^.

add

its

dimensions. Length 9^.

at

Wing
1.

4,',.

Tail 4J. Tarsus hardly

state that I

Hind

toe

and claw

',

Bill (at front) Tv-Qths.

gape about

may

haave obtained

many specimens

of this species
6th.

all

agreeing exactly in colour.

terricolor

M.

Hodgson. Mr. Blyth some time ago informed

species

me

that he

had

obtained this

common Bengal

from Goomsoor, and

collection.
to
it

have now before

me

a specimen

from that

locality in

Lord Arthur Hay's

obtained a specimen

of this species

when

in

Goomsoor some years ago, and referred

in

my

Catalogue, under Somervillei, as

probably distinct,though the form of the bill mentioned there appears to have been accidental.

On comparing

it

with some specimens sent

;

me by Mr.
its

Blyth from Calcutta there appear

its

some differences

it is

somewhat smaller
it is

in all

dimentions, more uniform in

that

colour above,
shall not at

and more rufous beneath, but

present separate
it,

otherwise so very cIospIv allied

I

but should

it

hereafter prove to be distinct

I

would propose the name

9,

of Orisscs from the

name

of the district.

add

its

dimensions.

Length
1
1

Wing

4, Tail 4,

Tarsus

1;^,

Hind

toe

andclaw

j^ths. Bill, at

front ..ths. at gape

mth.

A Calcutta specimen measures about 9 J

1;^,

inches or more

Wing

4r,

Tail 4 i. Tars
is

Bill at front ^ths, at srape lfth, higher than in the

Goomsoor specimen.
his

This species

is

the Turdus Canorus of Linnaeus

from Edward's figure of

its

Brown Indian Thrush,

but Mr. Blyth rejects the

name from
'

extreme inappropriatencss, the bird having a most

to

particularly harsh voice (atch, atch)

and no pretensions whatever

of a

be

musical, in the least

degree.

It is

probably the
1843.'

M.
is

stri(Uus

catalogue of Bengal birds in the

Ann. and

Mag. Nat.
Bengalese.

Hist.
It

It

the Chatarrha-a

and

.SV///i

Bhai-e (seven Brothers,) of the

extends into Nepal and Assam.

Tliimalia subru/a, J eidon
la Soc.

7th. 3/. subrufus,

Catal.
is

No. 93.

T. ptrcilorhyncha

De

la

Fresnaye, Kev. Zool. de

Cuv. 1840.

This
It

a very distinct species

from

all

the

previous ones, allied in coloring to the

elevated region of
at

Crateropi.

frequents
^\'

bamboo
1

jungles

in the
it

Wynaad, and along

the edges of the

hills.

estern Ghauts.

observed

once

Coonoor on the edge of the Neilgherry

Besides the species enumerated above

we have

tlic

M.

strialus

Swainson from.
closely with

Ceylon.

Cingalese specimen

which (Mr. Blyth remarks) corresponded

Malacocircus Griscus.

Swainson's figure,

much

resembles

my

malabaricus, but differs in

the

paler and

more

the rufous of the cinereous hue of the feathers of the head and back, in

lower parts being

feathers of the back

more uniform,
and
breast,

in wanting the pale longitudinal central markings of the

in the very distinct striation of the tertiaries

and

and

tail.

'

Length 9|, Tail 44,

Tarsus Ij

Bill to

gape

inch' (Blyth.)

It

was founded on a Ceylon species which Mr.

Swainson identified with a bird in the Paris

Cossyphus striatus
It is

Museum

labelled

Gracula

striata.

It is,

oiDmnetA

(Blyth), and Philanthus striatus of Lesson.

not impossible however that the striatus of the

French museum

is

one of

the allied species, either terricolor, malabaricus, or orientalis, which Swainson might have
readily
color.

enough mistaken

for

it.

Lesson says

it

was from Bengal

if so

it is

probably

terri

Mr. Strickland in
is

his notice of Gray's

Genera of Birds says

this is

'

the

earliest

synonym
doubt

of

malac. striatus

Turdus griseus' but that

it is

erroneous

there can be

little

after

what has been stated above, though

a mistake which might easily have occurred

to

any one.

Another
p. 369.

species,

M.
it

Earlei, has been

described by

Mr. Blyth

J.

A.

S.
it

1844

Its colouring allies

something

to

M.

SomerrilJei Sykes, but in

It is

form

more

resembles malcolmi or Thimalia chatarhcBa of Franklin.

found in heavy reed and grass

yet procured
it

jungle in Bengal, and extends also to Nepal, but

India.

have not

in

Southern

Other species probably

in Boyle's
distinct.
list to

will

be found in the North of India; M. Somervillei

as

is

said

be found

as far

North

the plains near Saharunpore,

but

it is

probably

A
Paris

somewhat aberrant

species, intermediate to malacocircus

and rnegalum-s

exists in

the Thimalia chatarhcea of Franklin, Jerdon Cat.

No

94.

It is

the Gracula caudafa of the

museum, Thimalia caudata De

la.

Fresnaye,

megalurus caudatus Lesson, cossyphus

It

eaudatus Dumeril, and

in form from the typical

7negalurus isabelliiius of Swainson.

ni'ilacocirci, as

certainly differs
It

somewhat

well from the true

megaluri.

perhaps resembles

the former more in

in the tone of
its

its

habits, frequenting

low bushy jungle in large

Its

flocks,

and the

latter
It

plumage, and dark

irides.

note
to

is

a pleasing

sort of

low

whistle.

has an extensive distribution,

It is called

having been sent

the

Calcutta

museum from

Scinde
little

Doomree

in Hindustani

from

its

long

tail.

Mr. Blyth remarks

'

that the

Thimalia hyperythra Franklin, Jerdon Cat. No. 96,

is

so closely allied to Malac. subrufus

Illustrations

of Indian

Orniiliologij.

that I almost think

it

should be ranged with

it.'

It is

ihe

Shah Doomrce
its

in

Hindustani,
its

and PMc/ee^'ia or Pig bird in Teloogoo, aname given from

under the bushes, never shewing
itself

habit of making

way

above.

The 2%ewa//a

/y^/cKca of Franklin, r. Horsjieldii, Jard. and

Selby,

.Terd. Cat. Its

No. 95, has been separated by Mr. Hodgson under the name of Chrysomma.
Hindustani
is

name

in

Goolal chusm, or
it is

Red

eye,

from the orange

orbits,

whence

also

Hodgson's

name.
Calfat.)

I see

described in Latham

as Var.

A. of the Red-eyed

Bunting {Kmberiza

In

my

Catalogue of Birds published in the Madras Journal of Literature and

follows under

Science 1839, I remarked as

Thimalia Sotnemillci.

"

From
I

the

peculiar inclined

distribution of this truly Indian

genus and the general similarity of colour.

am

to thiuk that hereafter other species

may be

separated, closely allied in phimage and general

of structure and plumage, as well as
tliis

structure,yet differing in

some permanent character both

in geographical distribution."'

The

present article shows that

I

has in a great

measure
to

been verified, though not so completely as

could have wished,

in
its

owing as well
haunts, and

want of specimens,
rspecially
its

as to

want of observation of the species

differ
is

native

more
I

notes,

which
this

considerably in

all

those

have mvself observed.

hope however before

work

brought

to a conclu.'^ion, to

have ascertained more precisely

shall

the distinctness of some of the species here indicated, and

mention the result

will

in

an

appendix, in which
1

all

errors of nomenclature, or
will hold to

additional information
it is

be inserted.
that in

am

satisfied that

most of them

be good species, as

well

known

many genera

the species approximate so very closely as to be distinguished with difficulty.

XX

^
^^I^Jtf/zvW^^-

?rnzn/i^enJ^j,

R;.,/tJ

SfJ.''!,'

f/'A'tJ^ltr-nyfe

ORD. IJVSESSOHES,
FAM. MEEULID^.
GEN. PETROCINCLA.

PLATE XX.
PETROCINCLA PANDOO.
Sykes.

INDIAN BLUE ROCK THRUSH.

Synon.
I affixed the

P.

Maal Sykes (the

female.)

name

of Petrocincla Manillensis to the

its

drawing of

this bird, as

Mr.
at

Blyth had suggested to

once, the

me

the probability of

being that species, with which I agreed

is

more readily

that in Lesson's Traite

P. Manillensis

mentioned

as

from India.

Mr. Blyth however subsequently obtained the

that our present will stand good.
is

real Manillensis

from Lu9onia, and found

a distinct tho' very closely allied species,

and accordingly Sykes' name

third allied species, from Tenasserim and Darjeeling,

Mr. Blyth has

designated P.
Monticola.

affinis.

Swainson's excellent

name

Petrocincla will have to give

way

to

The Indian blue rock thrush

has most probably a
still

is

extended over most of the continent of India, and

distribution, as
it is

more extended geographical

migratory here,

retiring to the north to breed at the approach of the hot weather.

Towards the south of

the Neilgherries

the peninsula

it is

very rare.

I have only seen

it at all

common on

and
In

now and then

a single stray specimen

it

on some rocky and jungly

hill in

the Carnatic.

the Deccan however

becomes more abundant,and there, chiefly,almost exclusively frequents

the old walls and remains of forts so

common

there,

eveiy village however small being

it

surrounded by a high

mud

wall.

On two
Mr.

or three occasions I observed

Elliot in his M.S.S. notes

in

Cantonment

on the top of a

stable or out-building.

on Indian Birds, from

which I drew much information in the compilation of

I4

my

Catalogue of Indian Birds, men-

Illustrations of Indian Ornithology,

tions that

he found

this bird

numerous on the

coast from Vingorla to

Cambay, frequenting
It is in

the neighbourhood of villages and houses, and even so tame as to enter verandahs.

general a very shy and wary bird, usually concealing

just showing
it

itself

on some rock or stone, perhaps

its

head, and taking flight

its

if

approached.

have often in open ground followed

its

long in vain,

rapid and undulating flights becoming more extended as

suspicions

become roused.
Its

It feeds in

on the ground on coleopterous

is

insects cliiefly.

name

Hindustani

Shama, and

it is

said to

be sometimes caged by Faqueers

its

and others

for its song,

which

is

highly prized in the north of India, but

musical qualities
as the

appear unknown in the south, and the Copsychus macrourus appears

or

known

Shama

Shahmour

in Bengal.

Description.

Male- Of a dusky blue

tail

tint

throughout,

many

of the feathers

dusky-tipped.

Wings and

dusky brown.

Female, of a greyish brown tinge above,

tail

beneath paler, mottled with whiteish, and under

legs black. Irides

coverts barred with dusky. Bill

and
3 to

deep brown. Length 8 J to 9 inches. Extent 14,

'^

Wing

4r Tail

SJ, Bill (at front)

ths. Tarsus

1,^

th. Weighs nearly 2 ounces.

The P.
axillaries,

Manillensis differs in the

Male having the under parts from the

breast, the

and under wing covcrt6,bright ferruginous,and in the female ( T. eremita of Gmelin)

paler beneath.

being

much

The

tail is

perfectly squared.

It is

found in Lu^onia and

China, &c.

P.

affinis
tail,

Blyth

difi^crs

from

this

last in

having

much

less ferruginous,

and

in the

shape of the

which has

its

outermost feathers nearly half an inch shorter than the

middle ones.
In P. Pandoo the
tail is

intermediate in shape to these two.

XXI

l''e'ff.<r.Mr l/'ci-nc^ia/j

-UX,Af

i^Zf^f C.l'JXfJ''.:

ORB. RASORES.
FAM. COLUMBID^.

GEN. VINA GO.

PLATE XXL
VINA GO BICINCTA.

PURPLE AND ORANGE BREASTED GREEN PIGEON

Synon.

V. vernans
The group

Tar. Lesson.

V.

bicincta Jerdon, Catal.

bis.

No. 289 and

V.

unicohr

No. 289
of green

pigeons has long been separated from the other pigeons

see that the

by Cuvier and

Vieillot, but I

name given by
first

the latter author

'

Treron

'

has

been adopted by Gray and others, having been

he
first

published, though Cuvier

of the
'

alleges that

named many

of these genera in the

museum
'

Jardin des plantes' but he

did not publish them until the appearance of his

Vieillot adopted the genera,
ral

Kegne
his

animal,'

and that in the mean time

is

and gave them names of

species, several

own.

The group

a very

natu-

one

and contains a number of

countries,

from continental India, many from the

Malay

and some from Africa.

broad
soles, the
irides.

They

are distinguished
quills,

by

their

green plumage,

thick soft
their blue

bills, flat

emarginate

and

(the Indian species at least)

by

and red coloured

never resorting
species

Their habits are

strictly

arboreal,

and they feed on

fruit alone,

to

hard seeds like most of the family.

The

of which the

accompanying

is

drawing was
its

first

described

by

myself in the Madras Journal.

Strickland I see

doubted

distinctness

from V. vernans
it

of the Malay countries, but Mr. Blyth

who

has procured both fully recognises

as a distinct

though closely
bird
is

allied species,and

has sent

me

specimens of each for comparison. Our peninsular

I have only seen
;

a rare,

and by no means abundant

species.

it

myself on two or three

occasions,

and always in the

close vicinity of the sea

once in the Northern Circars,once in the

Illustrations

of Indian Ornithology.
I

Carnatic,
core,

and once on the Malabar coast, but

have

lately obtained

specimens from Travau-

and also from the jungles of the Eastern ghauts inland from Nellore. Mr. Blyth too has
it

obtained

at

Calcutta from the Botanic

it

garden there where

it

breeds, and also from the

to

Sunderbunds, and has received

observed
it

from Arracan, and other places

the Eastward.

myself always in small

flocks.
is

The note Though

of the green pigeons

a very pleasing full

toned rolling whistle.

usually impatient of confinement they will sometimes live for a long time when caged,
to.

and properly attended

Description.

Back of head and neck

yellow green
;

above blue grey

the
rest of

forehead,

top

of

head, face, chin, throat and belly,

a broad

the plumage above green;

band

of orange or bright

cinnamon yellow on the

breast,

separated from the green

of the throat by a light purple

feathers streaked with green
;

band ; lower part of abdomen and vent yellow, some of the

under
tail

coverts entirely cinnamon colour

black,

tail

above grey

with a central dark band, and edged lighter, beneath almost

with a broad whitish

margin; edges of the greater wing coverts broadly margined with yellow.

Length about lOj inches, wing

6,

TaiM.J.

Bill glaucous

white,

legs lake

red.

Irides smalt blue with an exterior ciixle of carmine.

The young
ly the purple

(or

it

may be

the female) differs from the adult male in wanting entirebreast,

and orange bands on the

and

in the

under

tail

coverts being mi.\cd

with white.

The Malayan

V. vernans, of which a specimen

in the purple

is

now

before me, differs in having

whole head, face and throat grey,

the
tail

band being much wider and extending round

tail

neck, in the deeper tint of the orange, in the upper

coverts being tawny and in the

also a smaller bird.
I

wanting the broad edging of white beneath &c. &c.

It is

add the

dimensions.

Length about 9j, wing

5g, tail 4.

The
1st

other species of green pigeon found in the South of India are as follows.
r.

chlorigaster

Blyth,

V.

Jerdoni Strickland,

V.

militaris,

Jerdon Cata-

logue No. 286.

This has only been recently recorded as distinct from the true militaris of

Northern India.
2nd.
(the female). that
it

V. malabarica Jerdon n.

s.,

V. aromatica

Jerdon Cat. No. 287, and 288

On sending

a specimen of this bird to Mr. Blyth, that gentleman informed

bill

me

differs

from the true aromaticus of Northern India in the form of the

and

in

some

Illustrations of Indian Ornithology.

other particulars.
habitat,
coast.

have therefore given

it

provisionallj^ the

name

of malabarica

from

its

which
I

is

chiefly the forests of

Malabar, and the other high jungles of the western

their_ points of difference.

add what Mr. Blyth says on

" The

two species agree

exactly in size and colouring of feathers,

sexes
;

except that yours

has a yellow throat in both

bu

the form of the bill is essentially different, and there are several other distinctions.

Tr. aromaticus verus (from Bengal andArracan) has a very

much
is

stronger

bill,

the corneous

portion of which reaches back to the frontal feathers

soft

its

colour

glaucous green with the

and tumid portion

at the sides of the

upper mandible vermilion, forming a large and

hillis

conspicuous spot; in your species the basal half of the

has the eye surrounded by a naked space of a livid blue,
the eyes
is

sok and tumid ; aromaticus

the space surrounding

in yours

feathered to the orbit

lastly

aromaticus has the legs and toes very bright ver-

milion contrasting forcibly with the red of those of bicindns, whereas those of your species
are described as
'

lake.'

xxn

PA

GUI). ijs'SESsonES.
TRIBE C0NIR0STRE8.
FAM. STURNIDjE.

GEN. PASTOR.

PLATE

XXII.

PASTOR BLYTHII.

Jerdon.

WHITE HEADED MYNA.

Synon.

P. 3Ialabaricus Jerdon, Catal. No. 166.

figured here was considered

The "White headed Myna

by me in

my

Catalogue

to

be the Malabaricus of Authors, which Wagler had erroneously identified with the female
of P.

Pagodarum, but Mr. Blyth some time ago suggested

to the

to

me

that the
all

name Malabaricus

more properly belonged

and which I had alluded headed one.

grey-headed species found over

the continent of India,

to in

my

Catalogue as being probably distinct from the white-

Mr. Strickland
it

I see confirms this,

and has suggested

my

naming

this

anew.

I have therefore given

the specific appellation of Blythii after the present talented and

indefatigable Curator of the

Museum

of the Asiatic Society of Calcutta.

This bird belongs to the small division of

the

Mynas

for

which Lesson has proposed

Their make
is

name

Slurnia, and which

of the

is

typified

by the P. Pagodarum.

smaller and
ai'e

lighter than that

arboreal.

Common Mynas, and

their habits in general perhaps

more

Mr. Blyth remarks

that they are seldom seen

on the ground, but

this statement

must be
often

qualified with regard to

cattle like

P. Pagodarum which feeds

although,

chiefly on the ground,

and

among

the

Common Myna,

as I long

ago remarked in
it

my

Catalogue,

when

I did observe this bird in the

Northern part of the Peninsula,

was only

on

trees.

Illustrations

of Indian Ornithology.

The white-headed Myna

is

only found in the forests of Malabar and the more

it is

Southern portions of the West Coast, and here

It frequents lofty trees

by no means

either

common

or abundant.
their larva;,

on which

it

procures

its

food,

consisting of insects

and

and small

shells (Bulimi)

which I have found entire

in its stomach.
it

Its usual cry is neither I

so loud nor so harsh as that of say, like the others of

it

most of the Mynas, and

it

has a very pleasing song.

dare

genus,

nidificates in holes of trees,

and lays 3 or 4 greenish blue

eggs, but I have not had an opportunity of observing this.

Description.

Whole

head, neck, throat and breast, beautiful silky white

;

back and
rufous
;

wing coverts grey

centre
tail

quills

dusky black

abdomen,

sides,

and under

tail

coverts,

feathers grey, tipped with rufous

and dark shafted, the intermediate ones grey on

internally,
tlie

the outer web,

rufous at the

tip,

and black

rufous increasing as far as the

Bill blue at the base,

outer

tail

feathers,

which are entirely rufous, except

tip.

at the base.

greenish in the centre, and yellow at the

yellow,

Irides blueish white

claws pale

yellow

Length 8 to 8| inches Wing 4i|

1 inch.

legs and feet reddish Tail o inches Bill

2,^ to all its

(at front) nearly ~ ths.

Tarsus

It

differs

from the common grey-headed

Myna

in

being larger in

dimen-

sions, in the colour of the

head and neck, in the primaries not being tipped with grey, and
This
last species, Jl/a/aianci/j verus,

in

some other

slight points.

occurs here only in the

cold weather I find,

and

is

generally dispersed through the Southern part of the Peninsula,

preferring of course the more

wooded portions

of the country.

XXffl

^ryr/.^lu>t-/y^^tic-

'/r/^-rr

Pri^/Mi / /.'^^.('i'.A^''l"'"y^f

ORD. .r^lT.lTORES,
FAM. ANATIDyE.
GEN.

DENDROCYGNA.
XXIII.

PLATE

DENDROCYGNA MAJOR.

LARGE WHISTLING
Among the many
species of Duck found in
it,

TEAL.

this

country during the cold

-weatlier

there are but few peculiar to

distribution,

the great majority being birds of extended geographical

to the limits of the Arctic to
circle.

and ranging from the torrid regions

to

The

genus Dendrocygna however appears

be peculiar

India and

its

isles,

and contams

several species, very closely allied indeed, but yet sufficiently characterized as distinct forms.

Horsfield indicates

other species besides his

tells

Javanica, but merely

calls

them

varieties,

although the natives, he

characterized the
'

us, distinguish

them by separate names.

Colonel Sykes has

common

species of this country

apart from Horsfield's under the

name

of

awsm-ee,' and in
of D. major.
I

my

Catalogue of Indian birds I described the present species under the

name
than
has

It appears contrary to
for I

my

first

supposition to be more generally spread

had imagined,
it

obtained specimens
it

occasionally at Nellore,

and Mr. Blyth

procured

at

Calcutta where

appears

not rare, though not nearly so

in the

common
as

or

abundant

as the smaller species.

At Jaulnah
its

North of the Deccan

it

was

common
it

as mcsuree. I
is

have no information of
it

occurrence out of the peninsula of India, but

probable enough that

may be one

of the Javanese varieties of Horsfield.

The Dendrocygnce
lous cry they

are called "Whistling Teal

by sportsmen
Sillee'

in India

from the

sibi-

have, and their Hindustani

of va' ious
is

name

of

'

also signifies whistler.

They

are (bund in flocks

size,

frequenting chiefly the smaller

that of the

and more reedy and

duck
tribe,

grassy tanks.

Tlicir flight

more heavy tban

G

generality of the

Illustrations

of Indian Ornithology.

and they can be readily distinguished

of their wings.
spotted
all

at a distance

even by the comparatively lazy flapping

They breed

in the hot weather, laying several eggs of a dirty white colour,

a tuft of

over with rusty red: these are said to be laid in

situ.
is

grass,

but

have not

mvself found them in

The

tlesli

of the Whistling Teal

in

general poor, tough, and fishy, and they are

I

not therefore held in any esteem for the table, though at times
palateable, especially after being kept in a Tealery for
I

believe they are

more

some

time.

add a description of the large Whistling Teal.

chesnut, darker on the top of the
;

Head and neck

extends

head,
;

whence

dark line

down
is

the back of the neck

chin, throat

and

fore

neck very pale

on the centre of the

neck there

a broad patch

of small whitish

somewhat hackled

feathers.

Upper

part

of

the back and scapulars deep brown, the feathers edged with chesnut, lower part of the back
black, lesser

wing coverts dark marroon, other wing

tail

coverts, wings

and

tail

dusky black

beneath chesnut,under

coverts and a few of the upper ones yellowish white, the feathers on

die sides of the body elongated, chesnut on one side of the shaft, and yellowish white edged

with dark brown on the other.

Bill

and legs plumbeous Irides dark brown.

Length
1,^

i?0 to

21 inches Wing 9|, Tail 2|, Tarsus 2, middle toe with claw 3J, Bill at front

at

gape 2^.

This duck appears to

me

to

bear a greater resemblance in colouring to Horsficld's

or aiosuree, but
it

species Javanica vel arcuata than the

common one

differs in size, in

want-

ing thelunules of the breast and neck, in the small extent of the marroon colour on the wings,

and in

this

being of a much duller hue

in the thigh feathers not being bordered with

in a

brown

and in the presence of the band of small whitish feathers on the neck, and
minor points

few other

Sykes' species

differs

from Horsfield's in its apparently smaller

its

size, in

wanting

the lunules on back of neck and breast, and more particularly in the same marroon hue as the

upper tail coverts being of

wing

coverts, besides in several other particulars,

and! have no
lately join-

doubt that ed them.

give the

it is

good and

autlientic species, although I see

some Systematists have

to

It is not

improbably the smaller variety indicated by Horsfield

batti,

which the Javanese

name

o{ Meliwis

Melitcis holn^ the

common name

o( Jaranica, and

my D.

major may

also

be the Meliwis kembung alluded

it

to as

another variety.
first

The name

of Jara-

nica must stand for Horsfield's species,

having been

described under that name, that of

it

arctMta having been subsequently given as the name by which Cuvier had distinguished
il.e

in

museum

of Paris.

XXIV

r^iA^tf

muya^-0

J>u//'-c/il,

Ti'nh.i. /.^/.irAfC/.'/flti-,,

ORD. IJrSESSORES.
TRIBE FISSIROSTRES
FAM. CAPRIMULGID^.

GEN. CAPRIMULGUS.

PLATE XXIV.
CAPRIMULGUS INDICUS.

LARGE INDIAN NIGHTJAR.

Synon.
Capr. Indicus Lath. Jerdou (Cat. No. 251.)
description

The vague and imperfect

by Latham

of his C. Indicus without any mea-

surements could scarcely have led to the identification of the subject of our present plate

had

it

not been for the figure in Gray and Hardwicke's

I

'

Illustrations of Indian Zoology,'

;

by which

was led in

my

Catalogue to refer

my

bird to that species

and

as

Latham

else-

where describes most of the other Indian Caprimulgi, Gray was probably
ing Hardwicke's figure to Latham's Indicus.

justified in refer-

The drawing however

I

in

Gray and Hard-

wicke represents a female, and the male has not that

know been

previously figured.
all

This fine Nightjar has been found dispersed, though sparingly, over
has even a
still

India,

and

more extended geographical

and even

distribution, as

Mr. Blyth has procured

speci-

mens from

the East of Bengal,

I believe

from China. I procured

my

first

specimens

from the NeUgherries, but have since obtained some from other parts of the country, from the
Deccan, the west coast, and even the Carnatic, but
affects chiefly
it is

by no means

common

species.

It

the

more wooded portions of the country, being usually found, and more comopen country, and here frequenting only shady gardens and
it

mon

in forests than in the

large groves.

On the Neilgherries

remains during the day in the dense woods there, issuing

from them about sunset, and then coming into the open ground, and perching on stones and

lUuslralions of Indian Ornithology.

trees,

and from thence pursuing

its

insect prey.

It is

now and

then flushed from the woods

when

beating for woodcock, or other game, and more than one have fallen beneath the gun
its

of the inexperienced sportsman,

extent of wing and lazy flapping having caused

it

to

be

mistaken

for the

woodcock.

Its flight is at

times very rapid and noiseless, performed with

in the

but few vibrations of its wings.

When roused

day time

it flies

(like others of the

genus)

but a short distance, and then suddenly alights, and squats close to the ground, never that I

know perching

in the

day time; when hunting

it

often aliglits on a branch, usually sitting in

feet being not

the direction of the branch, and not across

it, its

adopted for grasping firmly.

The

note of this Nightjar though somewhat like the sound of a stone scudding over
it

Ice has not such a close resemblence to

as that of the

common
Its chief

species

(C. Asiaticus);

it

sounds some thing like Tew-yo-yo frequently repeated.

food

is

moths and beetles.

The name

Nyctichelidon or Night Swallow was sometime

ago proposed to be subits

stituted for Caprimulgus,

and

is

a very good name, expressive at once of

error,
is
it

habits

and

afli-

nitieSjbut as the Linnoean

name cannot nov? propagate any

for this

has not been considered

it

necessary to change

it.

The Hindustani name

genus

Chippuk; sometimes

is

called popularly Dub-chooree,

or DuhJnih-chooree ; also Andhe-choorce,

which names are

given from

its

habit of close squatting before alluded to, the one meaning squat bird, and
Its

the other blind bird.

common name

in

Teloogoo
flat

is

'

Kuppa pitta'

or

Frog

bird, given
as

however more from the

in France the

actual resemblance of the

head and large eyes and mouth, than

name 'Crapaud
bird

volant' from a similarity in the call.

The best Telinga shikarees

however

call this

As

kappri gadoo, a name, the meaning of which I have been unable

to ascertain.

Mr. Blyth some

plumage, but larger in
all its

time ago sent

mc

specimen corresponding very closely in

Neilgherry bird, which
at first

proportions than

my

he was

in-

clined to consider as distinct, but on re-examination, and comparison of

many specimens
specimens
cor-

from different part of the country he now considers

obtained from various localities differ

as

identical.

My own

much both

in size

and

coloration,

two specimens

responding exactly being seldom met with.

the female, and appears at times to have the

The male has always

brighter plumage than

plumage darker and blacker than usual, but

I

whether

this is a seasonal variety, or It is

one dependent on age

cannot

now

determine.

extremely

difficult to

describe accurately birds of the present mottled and va-

ligated plumage, the

more

especially so

when,

as in the present instance, individual speci-

Illustrations

of Indian Ornitholog?/.
less

mens vary

so

much.

This however matters

when

a tolerably faithful representation

differs

is

given and accurate measurements are added.

This species

from the other Indian

ones generally in the prevalent dark hue of the plumage

it

from

Asiaticns and Monticohs

may be always

distinguished at once by
tail

it

feathered tarsi, and from 7nacrourtis by the

I shall give

dark wings and

scription but add

of the

latter,

and

rufous breast &c. &c.

no further de-

its

measurements.

Total length from 10 to nearly 12 inches

Wing

7 to 8| Tail 5 to 5| Tarsus about

i^th.

The

other Indian species of Caprimulgi are as follows:

all

1st C

Asiaticus

Latham

common
among
still

Indian Nightjar^spread over

the peninsula, taking shelter

under hedges,
I

bushes, in gardens, and feeding close to houses and even entering verandahs.

am

(as

expressed in

my

Catalogue)

inclined to believe that

the species

figured in

Gray

and Hardwicke

as Asiaticus differs

from the common species.

It differs

I obtained

what answered
its lar-

to this very closely in the

North of the Deccan.

from the common one in

ger

size,

more prevalent and

lighter grey tint of the plumage,

and

in

some other

trifling

points, but I have

now no

specimens for comparrison.

I at one time thought that

it

might

be Sykes' Mahrattensis which otherwise I know not.*

2nd.

Monticolus Franklin.

When I

compiled
it

my

Catalogue

had only met

this

Nightjar in Candeish, but I have since procured

lore,

in the neighbourhood of Madras, at Nelit

and other

places.

Mr. Blyth has

I consider
it

also obtained it at Calcutta, so

appears tolerately gene-

nerally distributed.

to

be the species described by Latham under C. Indicus

It frequents chiefly

from Sir
wood.

J.

Anstruther's drawings.

rocky

hills

abounding with brush-

3rd.

C. macrourns Horsf. I obtained specimens of this Nightjar from the range of

Eastern Ghauts, and have seen a specimen from the Malabar coast in Lord Arthur Hay's collection. It is

very closely allied to the species which Mr. Blyth had considered as C. macrou^
is

rus of Hor&field, but the India

much

smaller.

Mr. Strickland however has compared the specimens

in

House museum from Java with Bengal specimens, and

very closely allied in plumage.

finds Horsfield's species

much smaller, though

The

Calcutta bird will therefore stand

as C. gavgeticns Blyth,

and Mr. B. naturally concludes that

is

my species is
it

the

ime inacrourui.
distinct species
its

However

in this

genus where the plumage

if so

so very similar

may

still

be a

from the Javanese one, and

would propose the name oi airipennis, and I add

di

Mr.

Blytli

has just sent

me

for inspection a Nightjar sent by Hodgson as C. innotatus, which he considers as Mahrattemit

3t

appears to

mc

tt) lu

a very pale vanity of C. Indicus

with

much worn and

a braded plumage.

Illustrations of hidian Ornithology.

mensions
liaps

Length about

11 inches,

Wing

about 7 J, Tall o J to

(i

inches.

consider

it

per-

may be

C. Asiaticus var C.

Latham.

4th. C. Mahrattensis

Sykes

am

inclined to consider IVom length of the

tlie

tail as

given

by Sykes

that this

may

turn out to be C. Indicun. 1 liave a specimen from

1

West Coast
that the pro-

smaller than the generality of individuals of this varying species.

bability of this conjecture
is

may add

strengthened by Blyth having; referred what

1 consider a

mere

variety of C. LuUcits to Sykes' Mahrattensis.

XX\'

Ctyx

A((ytzc-/y/i^ ^

i^/*>V^i/.y.'/^<*.^i;,Vft>*#<e

t^j

5"^

ORB. IJVSESSOMES,
TRIBE FISSIROSTRES
FA 31. HALCYONID.F.
Sw.

GEN. CEYX.

PLATE XXV.
CEYX TRIDACTYLA.

PURPLE
Synon. -d
tridactyla, L.

TOED KINGFISHER.
(in
part).

Latham and Shaw

erithaca var.

C. tridactyla, Sykes Cat., not

var.

of

Jardine and Selby.

of Latham.

(apud Shaw) and Ked-headed Kingfisher,

A.

A purpurea,

Auct.,
S.,

Buffon P. E. 7T8.2, Ceyx pu7pweus, Juesson.

Ceyx

microsoma Burton P. Z.

Jerdon Cat. No. 246.

instituted

The genus Ceyx was

form
a small

by Lacepede

for the

3 toed Kingfishers which

is

and beautiful group.

different

The synonymy

of the species however

to the

involved in

some obscurity,
different authors.

names having been even recently applied

same species by

The

description of the A. tridactyla of Linnaeus (in

Latham and Shaw)

appears to correspond as nearly as possible with the bird figured here, but the
tyla has been applied
to another species,

name

tridac-

by Jardine and Selby

is

in their Illustrations of Ornithology pi. 55.2,

which

decidedly the A.Madagascariensis of L., as described by Latham,

and which
species.

is

figured in the same plate of the Planches Enluminees of Buffon as our present,

If

Latham and Shaw

be

are correct in their descriptions,

little

and have

faithfully followed
as I

Linnffius, there can I think

doubt of the synonymy I have adopted,

described

do not

think

it

probable that Linneeus would have

if

the same bird under two different

names but
;

these authors have misplaced the original descriptions, then the rufous species

will stand as tridactyla, with Madagascariensis as a

synonym, and our bird

to the

will

be C. pur-

piireus (Gmel.j, unless, Scopoli in the scientific

names he has applied

Birds described

Illustration of Indian Ornithology.

by Sonnerat should have given

as I suspect it will.

a prior

name, and Sonnerat's bird prove identical with ours'

The purple 3
obtained
coast,
it

toed Kingfisher

is

a rare bird on the continent

it

of India.

have
west

in the

Carnatic, and

know

that

has been found, though rarely, on the

and

in the Deccan.

Mr. Blyth has

not, that I

am

aware, obtained
it

it

from the vicinity

of Calcutta, but has received specimens from Arracan where

appears not very uncommon,

and thence
I

it

extends southward through the Malay peninsula, and

many

of the

Isles.

append a brief description.

tail

Head and neck above of a rich sienna

lilac.

red,

upper

tail

coverts and

the same but,

much dashed with shining

A dark blue

spot on forehead,

and another of a brighter tinge over and behind the

white mark.

ears,

this latter

bordered beneath by a

A stripe

of beautiful

glistening lilac

from centre

of eye above, extending

over the blue spot. Back black, dashed with blue, wings black, coverts edged with dark blue,
chin, throat and neck whitish.sides of head, and

body beneath ,rufous yellow.

Tars n, Bill (front) 1^,

Bill

and legs red.

Length 5 inches.

Wing

2;^,

Tail
is

1;^,

The
Latham No.

other species of this group

the Al. Madagascanensis L., Rufous Kingfisher

59.,

36.,

Javan Kingfisher Lath. No.

A. purpurea var. apud Shaw.,

Martinpi. 55.2,

pecheur roux de Madagascar, P. E. 778.1., A. iridaclyla, Jard. and Selby Ill.Orn.

and perhaps the A. tridactyla of Horsfield.

This
is

not found in the continent of India, but occurs in the south of the Malay

peninsula, and thence extends eastward to the Isles.

The Kingfisher
pecheur de
I'isle

described by Sonnerat in his " voyage"

is

pi.

32, as

Le Martin-

de Lutjon, the Luzonian K. of Latham No. 58,

If not,
it

perhaps the same as the

allied species.

subject of our present plate.

will

form a third and closely

The

New Holland 3 toed Kingfishers have been

Two

separated from

Ceyx by Swainson,
./I.

under the name oi Alcyone.

species are described. Ist^^. azurea (Lath.),

111.

trihrachys,

Shaw, N. M., Ceyx azureus, Jard. and Sleby,

tralis,

Orn. 55.

1.,

Ceyx cyana,'Lesson,

austo

Sw

and 2nd

Menitigting Lesson, Zool. de la Coquille,

is

which would appear

be

distinct

from Horsfield's A. Meningting, and

'

certainly so, from the

A. biru of the same

author, which the writer of the article

identifies with
it.

Kingfisher,' in the

Penny Cyclopedia erroneously

closely allied to
//.

This species (from

new Guinea) appears very

azurea.

riate

XX\':

Leonard

r-vr Rrollnfi-r.

Htii

ORD. INSESSORES.
TRIBE SCANSORES.
GEN. BUCCO.
PLATE XXVI.

BUCCO

VIBIDIS,

GREEN BARBET.
Synon 5.
Viridis, L., Jcrd. Cat.

No. 217

in

part Xe Barlu

vert,

Buff Ze Sarlude Mahe,'P.'E.

The

genus Bncco,

as at present limited, is a well

Isles.

marked

one, and appears confined to

India and the Eastern

Green

is

the predominant colour, both of the upper and lower

surface, varied, according to the species, about the

head and neck, with other colours, some-

times most brilliant.

The

present species belongs to a small group, of which there are at least three species in

continental India, distinguished by the plain

brown and white markings of the head and

neck.

They abound

in all the large forests,

where their loud voice Koturr, KHurr, Koiurr,

may be heard ringing through the woods for a vast distance, throughout most of the day. They feed chiefly on fruit, also on insects; and, like parrots and woodpeckers, intermediate to

which they appear

to be,

they breed in holes of trees, laying, I

am

informed, three

or four white eggs.

They

are almost always seen singly, a pair,

however, being usually

not being far from each other.

The

species figured on the plate

is

chiefly

found in the woods on the Neilgherries, but

also
Its

here and there in the forests of Malabar, chiefly in the higher portions of the Ghauts.
note
is

hardly so loud as that of

Its flight, as

its

more common congener of

is

the Malabar forests, viz.

rapid, direct, and some-

B.

Zeylanictis.

indeed

that of all the species,

is

what undulating.

It perches generally

on lofty branches of
seen winging their

trees,

and on

wood being

beaten for game, several of these

to a

may be

way over

the tops of the trees

more secure

spot.

I suspect that the call of this bird, or of the B. Zeylankvs, was mistaken for that of
Nyciiornis Alherivni

by the discoverer of

that bird, as related in Jardine and Selby's

III.

2
Orn.
pi.

ILLUSTRATIONS OF INDIAN ORNITHOLOGT.

58
described as being exactly the
I

for

it

is

call

of a Bucco, whilst that of the

call of the

Nyctiornis

is

a loud rolling whistle.

have also heard the

Bucco by moonlight

occasionally, but never that of the Nyctiornis.

I

add a description of the Green Barbet.

:

Head and neck above brown, sometimes

mark from the gape extending

tinged or rather edged with greenish

superciliary stripe,

over the ears, throat and neck, yellowish white, the feathers of the lower part of the neck

edged with brown;

bill,

rest of the

plumage bright green, darkest above, and paling beneath

quills

and naked skin round eye, brown; tarsus leaden colour;

only, except the
first

brown on the inner

web

three which are edged with green.

4,
tail

Length about 8| inches, of wing

gape) IrVths.

2\,

tarsus

1,

bill

(at

front)

Wths,

(at

XE._lL.

ore Brothc I>rodia.s

RUFOUS BUZZARD
Buteo
rufi:\renter

ORD. RAPTORES.
FAM. BUTEONID^.
GEN. BUTEO.
PLATE XXVir,

BUTEO RUFIVENTEE,
RUFOUS BUZZARD.
Synon.

B. Mufiventer, Jerdon

Cat.

No. 21

bis.

Suppl.

I have only obtained this species of Buzzard on the Neilgherries, where indeed

it

is

very rare,

as I

only procured two specimens, one of which was seated on the edge of a
a solitary tree

swamp, and the other on

quent woods.

on the side of a

hill.

It does

not appear to freI

The stomach

of one I procured contained the remains of a lizard.

have

occasionally seen one of the kind seated near the lake of

Ootacamund, and a marsh in the

neighbourhood, and fancy that

I

it

occasionally at least feeds on frogs.

know nothing
it is

else of its habits,

nor even
fine

if it is

a permanent resident on the

hills.

In

plumage

closely allied to

Hodgson's
its

Buteo canescens,

my
tail

longipes.

I add a brief description of

plumage.

Above

pale brown, each feather edged with

coverts uniform

rufous, especially on the head and neck;

tail

rump and upper

;

brown

pale rufous, with narrow

brown

bars, the last widest

quills

grey brown, white on the

inner

web with brown

bars, except at the tip,

beneath nearly pure white, forming a con;

spicuous broad white patch on the centre of the closed wing

ish, each feather centred rufous brown
;

cheeks and throat whit-

rest of

plumage beneath bright rufous or chesnut,

Irides

barred with white

yellow.

thigh coverts darker and not barred.

brown

cere

and legs

Length about 21 inches, wing

nearlv to the end of the
tail.

15, tail 8> bill

(at

gape)

ItV,

tarsus StV, wings

reach

/A/A

.1

IT///

Leonard,

liOi

Rve

iiii|, 1,1-ij.l,,

FALCO PEREGPvlNATOR

ORD. RAPTORES.
FAM. FALCONIBM.
GEN. FALCO.
PLATE
XXVIII.

FALCO PEBEGRINATOR,
THE SHAHEEN FALCON.
Syaon.F.
Sliaheen,

Jerdon Cat. No. 29, and

111.

Ind. Orn. PI.

xii. q. t.

At

Plate XII. of the present

jP.

work

I gave a figiire of the male of the present fine Falcon,

under the name of

Shaheen.

It is only quite recently, since

indeed the publication of

has been ascertained by
visit-

Mr. Gray's

list

of the Raptores of the British

museum,

that
a

it

British Ornithologists to have been described

by Sundevall,
it.

Swedish Naturalist who

ed Calcutta, under the name now applied

figure of the Falcon in the PI. Enl.

to

am much

inclined to consider that the

this is said to

469 was taken from a Shaheen, but

to

have

been European, and the Shaheen has not

cept in the

my

knowledge been hitherto enumerated, exdoubt that

it

Fauna of

India,

though

have

little

extends far west, throughout

Asia

at all events.

The

present figure was taken from a living trained female in

my

possession, that

had

completed one moult.

The subsequent changes

consist in the

whole of the spots on the

lower surface gradually disappearing, and in the upper plumage becoming lighter, and

more

slaty in hue. of a female are as follows

:

Dimensions
ference to the

length about 18|, wing 13i,

first

tail 6^.

With

re-

addendum
is

at the

end of

my

Number,

may

state that the F. guttatus

there alluded to

not the Shaheen.

^late

XXK.

-.<*^-

Leonari

alii

?n!

BESRA.

ORD. RAPTORES,
FAM. ACCIPITRINjE.

GEN. AC CI PI TEE.
PLATE XXIX.

ACCIPITEE BESRA. THE ADULT BESRA HAWK.

For Synon.

vide

Plate IV.

The accompanying

is

another representation of a bird previously figured, but in a differ-

ent state of plumage, and has moreover the advantage of having been figured from the liv-

ing bird, a female, after her

intensity of shade from the
I

first

moult.

Shikarees state that

in future moults.

it

does not vary except in

plumage exhibited
prove
to

am

confident that

it

will

be a distinct and well marked species.

The

specific

name minutus

of Latham, I believe, was originally given to a species killed in Malta, most

;

probably an African one

Strickland,
is

and the Malayan virgatus, with which

though nearly
allied species.

it is

supposed identical by

a very distinct,

For an account of dimensions,

habits, &c. see Plate IV. of the present Illustrations.

FlaUin.

M/

;K^

RE-B.]it.

Iiiiitedij'

Bceve Brotkers

STRIX CANDIDA

Tickell.

ORB. RAPTORES,
FAMILY STRIGIDM.
GENUS STBIX.

PLATE XXX.

STRIX CANDIDA.

LONG-LEGGED GEASS OWL.

Synon.

S.

Longimemhris

Jerdon,
new,
I

Cat.

No. 38,

S.

Candida,

Tickell, S.

Javanica

apud

Blytli.

When
Nellore

named this Owl

as

had only met with a

single specimen,

which was shot

on the Neilgherries near Coonoor.

district,

Since that time 1 have

obtained other specimens, in the

once in long grass when hunting for

florikin,

and again among long reeds

some wild hog we

in the dry bed of the tank at Yeroor,

which had been

fired to drive out

were

in search of.

On

comparing

it

again with Tickell's description I find

to

it

agrees well enough, except

it as

as to the tarsi,

which are said

be

'

denuded,' but I imagine that he only meant

com-

parativelj so Wi\X\ Jlammeus ,

and

as

he especially mentions the

fact of its being

found only

in long grass, I have

his

now

little

doubt that they are identical, and have accordingly adopted

to

name.

Mr. Blyth appears

think

it

may have been

much

the species
if
it

mentioned by Latham

as S. Javanica,

Gm. and

de

Wurmb,

but I doubt

be the original species from

it

Java.

It

was known to Buchanan, but Mr. Blyth has not obtained

present figure was taken from a living specimen.

from Bengal

as yet.

The

I add a description.

Upper plumage

generally brown,

mixed with yellow, and spotted

Face white,
;

with white.

Beneath white, tinged with ochreous, and spotted with brown.

at the

with a dark spot

inner angle of the eye.

Quills and
;

tail

barred with buff and brown

some of the secondaries blotched

brown, lower part of the

with white

bill

pink, legs reddish brown.

Irides dark

tarsus nearly

denuded of
14, tail

feathers.

Length about 17 inches, of wiug

wings 4G.

5;^,

tars.

A, middle

toe

2\,

extent of

The
''is

species of

Owl

figured by Dr.

Smith in

his

Zoology of South Africa

as S,

Capen-

much

resembles this in colours and structure.

Plate

nXl.

Leonara

iiia

PnnicdiyRccre Broflters

BBJ^CHYPUS PARVICEPHALUS,

ORD. INSESSORES.
FAM.
SUB..FAM.

MERULIDM
BEACEYPODIN^.

GEN. BRACHYPODIUSBL.

PLATE XXXI.

BRACHYPODIU S POIOZC E PH ALUS.

WHITE-EYED BULBUL.
S^'noa

Brachypus Poioicephalus.

Jerdon,

Cat. No. 70.

I only once procured this species of Bulbul in forest at the foot of the Persia pass lead-

ing from Malabar into

I

Wynaad.
berries.

It

was feeding in small flocks on the tops of high

trees,

and

found had been eating

Lord A. Hay procured one specimen

Roberts of the 36th N.
I.

at the foot

of the Coonoor pass, and Captain

bird,

showed me a drawing of this

which he had procured on the

West

coast.

It is
it

somewhat

allied in colours to the

Brachypus

eutilotiis

of Jardine and Selby, which

further resembles in the copiousness of

its

rump

feathers,

and Mr. Blyth has classed them

in the

same genus.

Description.

Crown of head, occiput, and throat,

oil

bluish grey, forehead siskin green

;

back, wings, and lower plumage

green, lighter
;

towards the vent

with the
;

rump

feathers light

yellowish green, broadly barred with black

lateral feathers

tail

centre feathers greenish grey,

tail

black at base terminated with grey

under

coverts light grey.

Irides

bluish -white

bill

and legs greenish.

3, tail

Length 7 inches, wing

2 tV

tars.

| inch,

bill (at front)

Aths.

Mr. Blyth,
all

in a paper in the Journal Asiatic Society for 1845, page 546, has reviewed

the Indian Brachipodinae, and has formed the genus Brachipodius (p. 576) for this

and

4 or 5 other species.

Plate XXXII.

Leonard liih.

Rinted iy Reeve Brother*.

MUSCICAPULA SAPPHIRA.

Blyth..

ORD. IJVSJESSORES.
FAM. MUSCIGAPIDM.
GEN. MUSCICAPULA.

PLATE

XXXII.

MUSCICAPULA SAPPHIRA.

SAPPHIRE HEADED FLYCATCHER.

The
India,

vast addition to the species of Muscicajndce

made
Mr.

of late, especially in

having required

revision

of

the

whole

group,

Blyth

has recently*

adopted several new genera, to one of which the subject of the present plate appertains,

Mr. Blyth approximates

in its small size,

it

to the

Siphya of Hodgson, from which, says

toes.
I

he,

it

differs
is

and

feeble legs

and

consider that

its

nearest affinity

with

the group Cyoriiis of Blyth.

I

add Mr. Blyth's description of the present

of Darjeeling.

bird,

which was procured from

purplish
blue,

the

hill

station

Colour of the upper parts rich dark

inclineing to ultramarine on the

rump and upper

tail

coverts; forehead and crown

rich purple,

vivid

smalt
line of

blue;

the lores black;

foreneck

and breast

with a

broad median

deep and bright ferruginous; flanks greyish, the belly and forepart of the wings
tail black,

underneath, with the axillaries, white; alars and

bill

edged with blue externally

and

feet black.

Length 5 inch

wing 2^

tail

Igths

bill to

gape

j^g-ths

tarsus fths.

* Journ. As. Soc. 1843,

page 239, &c.

Pf,,j.,

rrr///

HE B

litiL.

Panted WBjecre Brother

OTIS

AITRITA.

ORD.

M^ SOMES.
GEN. OTIS.

PLATE XXXII
OTIS'

AURITA.

THE BLACK FLORIKIN.

Synon.
O.
Otis

Aurita

Passarage
0.

fulva Sykes Gularis Do.

Bengalensis,

Bustard Latham, No. 13, perhaps O. Indica apud Lesson but not of older Authors

?
0.

Majok

Franklin and Colonel

Sykes

in

their

Catalogues of the
Florikin

birds

of

Central India and the Decean,

having

pronounced the common

of India

to be a distinct species from the Black one, I entered at

some

length, in
to

my

Catalogue

of the

birds

of Southern

India,

into

the

reasons

which led me

conclude that

the

views entertained by these writers were erroneous, and showed that the Black

Florikin was nothing

more than the cock-bird

in the

summer

or breeding plumage.

Since that article was written, I have had considerable additional experience, and every
thing has tended to corroborate that opinion, and I
estimation,

may

state,

not only in

my own
I

but in that of almost every sportsman of experience with

the
it

whom
to

have
this

conversed on

subject.

Some gentlemen were

I

at

first

inclined

doubt

change, fancying

an anomaly, but when

pointed out that

the

many

of the birds of England

underwent a similar periodical change, and that

Golden Plover

assumed every

summer a plumage nearly

hesitated to concur in

identical with that of the

Black Florikin, they no longer

my

views.

My

reasons for believing the Black and the

common

Florikin to be one and

the same bird,

may

be here briefly recapitulated.

Istly. All

Black Florikin hitherto examined have been male

Floriki?! agrees exactly in size,

birds.

2ndly.

The Black

and comparative dimensions,

with the male of the commo7i Florikin, as described fully by Colonel Sykes, but more
especially in the length of wing,

and acumination of the primary

so, as

quills,

the points insisted

on by him, and most correctly

the essential points of diflference from the female.

Illustrations of Indian Ornithology.

running or feeding.

Its

flesh
all

is

very

delicate,

and

of excellent
is

flavour,

and

it

is

the most esteemed here of

sport,

the

game

birds.

Its pursuit
it

consequently a favorite
it

and from the open nature of the ground

I

frequents,

is

well adapted for

being hawked.

have killed

it

occasionally with the Luggur, but generally with the

Shaheen, and have already

it.

(at

Plate xii) given an account of the manner of hunting

first

Should the Shaheen miss her

stoop,

have seen the Florikin accelerate

to

its

speed so greatly, that the falcon

was unable

come up with

it

again under 600

yards or

so.

have seen one struck dead by the

at
it,

Wokhab, Jquila

Vindhiana
little

had slipped a Luggur

behind,

which was

in

hot pursuit, though at some

distance

when two

of these Eagles

came down from a

at
it,

vast height, and joined in the chase.

skilfully avoided,

One

of

them made a headlong swoop

to
fall

which the Florikin most

only

however
after its

a victim to the talons of the other, which stooped almost immediately

confederate, and
it

dashed the poor bird

lifeless

to

the ground.
off

It

had

not,

however, time to pick

up, for I rode up,

and the Eagles soared

its

most unwillingh*,
open the whole

and

circled in the air long above me.

The Florikin had

back

laid

length. to

The Luggur on
fist.

seeing the Eagles join the chase, gave

up

at once

and returned

the falconer's

The
is

Florikin

is

occasionally snared

by some of the

bird-catchers, but as this

is

a very uncertain process for catching a bird of such wandering habits, the gun
resort
to in

had

general,

and considerable numbers are brought

into

the

markets

in

the districts where they abound

and

fetch from half a rupee to a rupee each.

The Florikin
I

is

called
it

by the Mussulmans of Southern India Churz.

Churrus and
Cirris,
it

Latham

see gives this name, calling

which indeed
sometimes

is

much

the pronoun-

ciation of the word.

In the Telinga language

is

called, I
;

am

informed,

Kdmi-ledi-pitta,

but generally 7iela-nemUi, or ground Peacock

in

the

Mahratta name,

Tun-mor, having exactly the same meaning, and

the Otis Be?igalensis, also called
called in Sanscrit
Its

Hardwicke's notes (says Latham)

Florikin in Bengal, and

Churz

in

Hindustani,

is

Trlna mayara, (properly Trina mayura) which means grass Peacock.

I

Tamool name

have already given.

It

Its

name

in

Canarese

is

Kun-nowl, which

has

much

the same signification.

appears that the Bengal sportsmen apply the word

Florikin only to the large O. Bengaletisis, since named deliciosa by Gray, and Himalayanus

by Vigors
Florikin

and they

call

our bird the leek, or lesser Florikin.

The
it,

origin of the

word
was

is

not exactly known, but I have heard that either

or Flanderkin,

the old English

name

for

the

little

bustard of Europe.

Latham

gives, on the authority

;

of various drawings, the Native

name

Oorail, which I have not heard

Chulla Churz, Ab-

Illustrations of Indian Ornithology.

luk-chend, which means Pied bird, and Flercher in English.

dently of the same origin as Florikin.
is

This

latter

is,

I think, evi-

Others (says he)

call it

the Passarage Plover, which

is

the

name
it

applied to
called

it

in

Pennant's Hindostan, where there

;

a figure of

it.

In one

drawing

was

Tok-dar

which, however,
in

is

the

name

of the Bustard, 0. Nigriceps.

is

An

indifferent figure of the

Black Florikin,
of

a state of change,
Lesson, the

given at Plate
article,

X.

of the Zoology of the

that he does not

Voyage
figure

Belanger.

author of the
it

says

know a

of the

adult O. Aurita, (though

Illustrations

had been previand that

asserts
its

ously I believe figured in Jardine and Selby's

of Ornithology)

a specimen did

not

exist

in

the

public

collections

of Paris.

He

also

identity with 0. Gularis

and Bengalensis of the French Museum, and of some modern

authors,

and then
its

says,

"Thus the
It

Otis Bengalensis
is

is

evidently only
Hindoos.''
I

the O. Aurita

without

ear

tufts

(palettes).

the Like of the

know

not

on

what authority he
gives
its

alleges this.

On

referring to Latham's account of O. Bengalensis, he

141b,

height 22 inches, and weight 12 to

&c.

&c.,

so

there

can, I think, be
it

very

little

doubt that the O. Attrita

the Churge
size

is

not intended.
des

Buffon too

calls

(the
it

Benis

galensis,)

or

VOutarde Moyenne

Indes,

expressly because

in-

termediate in

between the great and

6,
is

little

Bustard of Europe.

Latham's Black
tarsus

Headed Bustard, No.

I shall

perhaps meant for our bird.

now

give a short description of both male and female.

Length of the male Lird from 18 to 19 inches

barely 4

wing

about 8

tail

bill

(at front)

l-j^ths

weight
;

16 to 18 oz.

When

in full breeding plumage, the

head

ear-tufts, neck,

medial wing coverts,

and lower plumage are deep black

on the wing, white
first
;

chin, lower

part of hind neck, and a large patch

;

the rest of the

plumage dark brown, mottled with fulvous

light

the

three quills

dusky brown, the remainder

ear-tufts usually three in

fulvous yellow, barred and mottled

side,

with brown.
rise

The

number on each

and four inches

long,

from the lower portion of the ear coverts.

Irides pale yellowish, clouded with

dusky.

Bill

dusky above, with the edges

feet dirty whitish yellow.
tail nearl)^ 5

of the upper and

all

the lower mandible yellowish.

Legs and

The female measures from 19^

to 21 inches
oz.
is

wing 9f

tarsus

4ibill
the

(at front)

J weighs

20 to 24

The

prevalent color of her plumage

tail,

pale fulvous

yellow, the feathers on

head, back, wings and

;

clouded and barred with deep brown

those

on the

head almost quite brown

foreneck

with two irregular interrupted streaks, increasing

on lower neck, and breast, lower plumage thence being unspotted and almost white

Illustrations of Indiayi Ornithology.

hiud ueck finely speckled with brown

chin

and throat

white.

First

three
;

quills

almost entirely dark brown, the subsequent ones fulvous, barred

coverts with only a few small bars of brown.

with brown

wing

The male

in winter

plumage

differs

from the female only

in

always
in

(I believe)

having the shoulders and part of the wing coverts partially white, and

the under

wing coverts being dark brown, whilst

in

the

female

they arc pale fulvous,

some

lengthened feathers of the sides alone being brown in her.

The down

at the base of all the feathers is pale pink,

and the feather of the

wing when freshly moulted, have a beautiful bloom on them, partly pink, and partly
greenish.

The

quills
in

are

much narrowed, and

iu

the

male exceedingly acuminated,

first

sometimes ending
pointed out; and

a point almost as fine as that of a needle, as Colonel Sykes

this,

with the smaller dimensions of wing, tarsus, Stc,

will

always

point out to the sportsman the sex of the bird he has shot.
tions that the feathers of the

Colonel Sykes also men-

back and scapulars are triangular at the point.

The Florikin

of Southern India has, I see, been lately placed in a

new

sub-

genus of Otis, named Sypheotides by Lesson, a division, which the smaller

male,
its

size of the
1

ear-tufts,

and other

peculiarities

perhaps would warrant us

in

adopting.

have not seen any account of a similar diiference between the sexes of any of the
African small
Bustards, and in the European
little
is

Bustard as

well

as in

the large

Bustards of Europe and India, the male bird

I see it

much

the largest of the two.

little

mentioned

in

YarrelFs British Birds, that the

Bustard of Europe
a black collar

also undergoes a periodical change in the breeding season, assuming

on

the neck, with a white gorget and ring.

^.'.

AlslAS

OAKYOPtiYLLACEA.

0MB,

NATATOMEK

FAM. ANATID^.
GENUS ANAS.

PLATE XXXIV.
ANAS CAUYOPHYLLACEA.

PINK

HEADED DUCK.

Syn. -A. Caryophyllacea, Latham Ind. Orn.

Le

Millouin

d cou

rose.

Lesson,

Traite^

No. 40.
I inserted this

Duck

in

my
it

Catalogue of Indian Birds on

tlie

authority of some

Shikarees at Jalnah, who described

accurately as being a rare visitant to that neighbour-

hood.

Lesson inserts

it in his

'

Traite' as existing in the Paris

Museum, though Swainson*

says he had never heard of a specimen dead or alive in England.

Since

my

Catalogue was published

(in

have obtained two specimens, one from the

It

Nellore

district,

and the other

imperfect plumage) in the Madras Market.

must

however be considered
but seldom procured
pairs,
is
it.

a very rare kind, even in the

North of
in

India,

as

Mr. Blyth has

Latham

says that

it is

common

Oude, and
I

lives generally in

often

kept tame,

and becomes tolerably

familiar.

should

be glad

if

any

Sportsmen would communicate to

I

me

instances of
sides,

its

occurrence here.

add a description

head, cheeks,
a g-lossy

and hind neck, pale pink or rose colour

;

the rest

of the

plumage of

reddish brown, somewhat paler beneath

;

speculum
tertiaries

and inner webs of

quills pale reddish

fawn; edge of the wing white

some of the

lengthened and glossy green

bill

red

legs leaden.
4 Tarsus
1^"^ Bill
at

Length about 24 inches Wing lOi Tail

* Animals
in

gape 2i.

Menageries, p. 277.

OMD.. IN'SESSORES.
FAM. BRACHYPODINM.
GEN. PYCNONOTUS.

PLATE XXXV.
PYCNONOTUS XANTHOLJEMUSl

YELL TV THR OATED B ULB UL.

In the- second

Supplement

to niy Catalogue of Indian Birds just published, I

have described;

this Bird,

which was brought

district,

me from

the Eastern range of Ghauts dividing

hill

Cuddapah from the Nellore

for

by some excellent
it

Shikarees to

whom

am

indebted

more than one

novelty.
it

They

describe

as frequenting the densest

woods

in elevated

valleys,
it is

and assert that

lives chiefly

on

fruit of various kinds.

The name

they apply to

Konda poda pigli,

or hill bush bulbul, the

virescens).

name

poda; pigli being always applied to Pyc~

nonotiis Jlavirictus
I

(my Tricophorus

have not seen specimens from any other part of the country.

Description

crown of head yellowish

green

throat and fore-neck pale yellow

tail
:

upper plumage ashy, tinged with green,

especially

on wings and
tail

beneath pale ashy,

undei" tail coverts and lower tibial plumes, yellow;

feathers, except the centre ones,

;

tipped with whitish, the external most broadly so

Bill black

legs and feet dark

plumbe-

ous

irides said to

be red.
inches^

Length nearly 8
gape
tS,".

wing 3^"'

^Tail 3^^

Tarsus

JL^h

Bill at front ^"'

at

Plate XXXVl

-Jf^
?'Tir.t'*d h'j i;(^7f

brotiicrS.

rtTT^riP

ORD. jR^ SOMES.

FAM. TETBAONIBm.
GEN. PTEROCLES.

PLATE

XXXVI.

PTEROCLES QUADRICINCTUS.

PAINTED ROCK-GROUSE.
FEMALE.
A
riGCRE of the male
bird,

with a

full

account of

its

habits, having alreadyit is

appeared at Plate X. of the present work,

can only add here, that

I

said

to

be identical with the bird from Western Africa.

for

have had

this bird in confinement

a few days, and

Description.

its

call

when alarmed was very

grouse-like.

Plumage

generally ochreons yellow, (the

feathers

when
;

fresh

moulted having a strong tinge of pink) spotted and barred with dark brown
pale ashey, finely barred with broAvn
;

beneath

quills as

in the

male

bird.

\.f;!ti>:-i

l|'

ORD. INSESSORES.
FAM. BRACHYPODINM.
GEN. BRACHYPUS.

PLATE XXXVIL
BRACHYPUS RUBINEUS.

RUBY THROATED BULBUL.

Synon.

Brachypus Gularis.

Gould,

Proc. Zoo. Soc.

1835.
in

HAVE

only found the

Ruby Throated Bulbul

in

Malabar, generally

open

glades of the forest, and in the neighbourhood of water, frequenting trees and bushes
in small flocks,
bird,

and feeding
have seen
it

on various
in

fruits

and

berries.

It

is

certainly

a rare

though

one or two collections made in Malabar and Tra-

vancore.

Sometime ago
species

suggested to

Mr. Blyth that

but the

it

may

have
of

been
the

Gould's
is

Gularis,

described

from

Travancore,
as the

description
is

throat

omitted,

probably through mistake,

of

specific

name

derived therefrom.
to,*

Mr.

Blyth

in his synopsis

the

Brachypodinse,

before

alluded

has

made a new

genus for this and Horsfield's Turdus dispar, (which closely resembles our bird) under
the

name

of Rubigula.

Description.

Head and
;

cheeks pure glossy black

plumage above, yellowish

green;

chin spot black;

bristly

throat of a beautiful shining ruby red, the feathers divided,

rest of the

and somewhat

plumage beneath, yellow

quills

with their inner

webs dusky,

bill

black, legs greenish dusky, irides light yellow.

Length about 6 J

^wing 3
* I.

tail

2f

tarsus
p. 676.

^^^ths.

A. S. 1845,

Plate

XXXVra

REBkth.

Printed

by Reeve BroUiers

MTj-n aTvp

PVT-

ORD. INSESSOMES.
TRIBE CONIROSTRES.
FAM. ALAUDINM.

GEN. MIRAFRA.

PLATE XXXV111.
MIRAFRA ERYTHROPTERA.

RED WINGED
Synon.

LARK.

Mirafra Javanica? Jerdon, Cat. No. 189.

VVhkn
as the

I compiled

my

Catalogue

placed this

Lark, though with doubt,

M. Javanica
it

of Horsfield, that bird having been included in Franklin's Catalogue,

I think it is

and as

answered tolerably well to the brief description,

probably the

variety of Latham''s Aggia

Lark, No. 49, described after a drawing of Hardwicke's,

Since that time, however, I have thought
it

and
able
so,

said
to

to

weigh 9? drachms.
it

advise-

separate

as a

new

species,
it

and Mr. Blyth

fully agrees

with

me

in

doing

and has already described

under that name

is

in the Journ. in I

Asiat.

Soc*

The Red AVInged Lark

tolerably

common

low jungles
it

in the neighbour-

hood of Jalnah, and generally through the Deccan.

nor on the

never saw a short

the

south of Bellary
ago,

West
in

Coast,

nor

in

the
the

Carnatic,

until

time

when

observed

it

some low jungle

at

very base

of

Eastern

Ghats, and

my
it

Shikarees have procured

me

specimens from the

hilly

regions,

where

they say
it

abounds.

It is never, that I

am

aware
species,

of,

found

in the
I

open

plains, nor does

frequent

gardens, like the more

this latter

common

M.

Affiyiis.

may remark

here, that I found

first

the

common

species, M-ithin a mile or less

of the spot where I

observed

Erythroptcra

in the Carnatic,

but not one did

see encroaching

on the ground of the other.

occasionally rises a short
quills

The Red Winged Lark

distance,

perches frequently on shrubs, whence

its

it

and descends again with outspread wings,

"

bright rufous

gliltering

For 1844 Page

Or.8.

Illustrations of Indian Ornithology.

in the sun.

When

observed

it

hides

itself

behind a

bush,

and

if

followed, soon

contrives to conceal itself from the sportsman.

Description.

Above

dusky reddish brown, the feathers edged with fulvous;

;

beneath fulvous white, the breast spotted with brown

feathers of the head lengthened

;

and rufous ;

chin,

throat,

and superciliary
tip,

streak, white
;

quills

bright

ferruginous

on

both webs, except at the

which

is

dusky brown
its

tail

dark brown, the feathers

Bill

edged with
irides

lighter,

and the outermost one white on

and
feet fleshy yellow.

external web.

horny brown

brown

legs

Length about 5? inches

a^ths.

wing S^Vhs

tail

2j^ths

tarsus

fths,

bill

at front

This and another species are called in Teloogoo eli

distinguished

jitta, the

present one,
is

by

its

smaller size, being called chinna eeli jitta.

in

The name

derived

from

their

note,

which

both species
diflers

is

kind of prolonged whistle.

quills

The

nearly

allied species,

M.

Affinis,

in

having the

rufous on
in
its

the

outer
tail,

web, and

the basal half only with a deep

ferently formed
bill.

margin of the same,

shorter

and

dif-

It is

exceedingly abundant in the

West

Coast, and throughout

the Carnatic, frequenting open spaces in the jungles, gardens, &c. he.
considers that this

Mr. Strickland

may

be the Alauda Malabarica of the older authors, described from

fig.

Sonnerat's voyage, plate 113,

to

and

I accordingly inserted

it

in the

2d supplement

my

Catalogue just published,* under that name; but having again compared the

description, I agree with

Mr. Blyth
not

in applying this

term to the crested

Coast, and

lark, Alaicda-

deva of Sykes, which

is

uncommon on

the Malabar

shall

retain the

name of

Affinis, already indeed published

by Mr. Blyth.
31.

Madias Journal of Literature and Science, No.

P.aVc xx>a3c

Leoa2-d, Lith

Prmtcdlv Reeve

BroUiei-s.LondotL

DIC.UM

CONCOLOR.

ORD. UVSESSOMES.
TRIBE TENUIROSTBES.
GEN. DICTUM.

PLATE XXXIX.
DICJEUM CONGO LOR.

OLIVE FLOWER PECKER.

This
plain coloured little bird is found in great abundance on the Neilglierries,

frequenting mostly high trees in small flocks, and feeding chiefly on the minute insects,
that infest flowers, occasionally receiving a portion of honey along with the insects.
I

have also found

also

it

not

uncommon

in the

more open parts of the

forests of Malabar,

and

occasionally in jungles in the

It

Carnatic,

when a

little

more high and dense

It

than usual.

keeps up an incessant feeble twittering, whilst feeding.

appears to

be replaced towards the North of India by another species, Dicceum erythrorhynchum,

the Nectarinia

Minima

of Tickell, and DiccBum

Tickellice olim of Blyth; of which,

however, I have recently obtained specimens from Canara.

bird chitloo jitta,
Vireoides of

My

Shikarees

call this little

name which they

also apply to

that curious bird the

Parisoma

my

Cat.

No. 133; the Fringilla

a

Agilis of Tickell, and

Pipra Squalida of

Burton,

now made

into

new

genus,

Piprisoma,* by Mr. Blyth, and placed in the

its afiinities

Dicceum group by him; thus confirming the view of

which I confess
I
it

held by

my

Shikarees,

was some time before

could recognise.

add a description of the Dicceum Concolor.

beneath greenish white, irides brown.

Above brownish
Bill

olive,

wings

and
feet

tail

darker,

dark plumbeous, legs and

bill (front) -rV ths, at

brown.

Length about 4 inches

wing 2f
g

tail 1-jV

tarsus i

gape ^ths.

The

bird

is

figured on the branch of a tree well

is

known on

the Neilgherries

under the name of the pink arbutus, which

*

believe a species of Thibaudia.

Journ. Ae. Soc. 1844, page 394.

\ruuA.jcL.

i/A:u^i

C<'rc/u///if

iUCf,/ /y

Z,M^,^U.Kj

TQ^J? <Jri lUSHJiCf

TRIBE SCAXSORE^.

GEN. HEMICIRCUS:.

PLATE

ATi.

MEMICIRCUS COMDATUS,

Meart-spo tted wo odpe gker.

Syu.

PicKS cordatus, JercIoE Cat. No. 206.

PI.
leaiiliafl-diy

P. carnxMe,

Lesso-ii,

Ceatinie

Zoologique

73?
iii

Bring myself tb believe- that tbe Wootlpeek^i" figured'

the

plate^- is

the same as th ne described bv Lesson as foilows" Thi* Woodpeeker has

neither red
;:

nor green
liead

iii

its

plumage

two colours only, black and white form

its pi'iiniage

erest,

and bind neck, deep bJne-blask.

Tbroafc and foreaeek ashy greVf

from the eommissure of the
bill

reliev-ed

on each,

side by two broad wbit-e Biarks, readiing

t the upper part

broiwn.'?'

of

tlie

thorax.

All the lower part of the bo^' from the bretisi f a deep sraoksy

1'he uncoloured^ figure which accompanies

my

copy of

Lessoii.'s

'

Centiirie,' certainly sho-w

a decided similarity in the appeaa^ance of the birdy and ebaraetsr of the markings^ but as-

suming

Lessott^* description of the

his^bird^, I

plumage

to

be

eorreot, and! talking into consideration theftbat

very difte-rentloealsty f
Pt.'gii
is

am

inclined to tJie opinieii

the Ficv-s ccmente from;

a distinct speeie& from

attention

my

P. cordatusr from thef6i5ests-of Malabac and Travan-

core.

The

now

bestowed, on the diserknination of species has- had the result

of

showing that several Woodpeekers^ previously eonsidered identical ffom dllFerent parts of
liidia

and Malayana, are in

reality only representatives of

each other

iii

different districts..

JUuat rations vf Indian Ornittwlofjy:

Fbr example three

5roiip

specios, formerly considered

tlie

same, have been found te firm thV"

of whicij the Mahiy P'.rui Ladias was lhefirst(iescriberf=--vK. P. hudim vents, from'
7*.

Alalayana, P. phaioceps, from Bengal, and

loajiner the {^roup to which the Maiay:'4> P.

f/idarix, inihi,

from Southern India.

least

In like
ia

.'/(/a

belongs Las at

Iwo

r('presentiitivet

Gontincntal

Indii.y; viz.

P.

ifiorii

and intermedins.

Two

addilioual sj>ccies

have been added

Seinde,
a^

to the Bevgahtisis group, viz. Miiropus i'nom Southern Indiii, and another from
I

have lately learned from Mr.

all

Bh th, and

other instances might readily be- adduced.

trifling,
I

No\t

ill

these cases-the distinctions thoxigJi constant, are apparently very

and only ap-ther tore

/'.

preoiablc after ariose examination, in

some

cases being merely stFuctural.

am

led

to conclude
is

in the

absence of actusil cajpari8on(,of specimens from Pegu that n>y

cordatus

the continental representative of cmtente, and a distinct species.

nearly allied

gpecies has quits recently been procui'ed by Air. Blyth from Arracan which he has
jujularis.

named

The

hcart-gpot^ed NVx)0<]pc4cer

-s

found only

in the highest forests of

sing^le.

Malabar^^^'ool-

Travancore, and Canara, frequenting high trees, usually in pairs, or

peckers generally
it is

Like

a wary bird, and being constfintly in mot'ion, oeciisionaUv eludes tho

pavsuit of the naturalist.

it is

TlioHgh generally spread

tliro ugh

the forests of Western

if.

India,
1

a rare bird.

Collections

made on

the West-Coast

however usually include

I

have

iM)t

seen

it-

myself from anyother past of the country, but Mr. Blyth,

think, has obtained-

specimens from Assam or Arracan.

Description

Male^foreliead

.-"jd

''rown,

c]nn, throat

and checks, back, *tripe

along the wings, and-tertiaries yellowish white, the

latter tcrminatccl witli a bhick hcarlquills, uppi'r

shaped spot.
tail

Hind head and long

and
taii

octipifal, crest,

nape, seapiiLirs,
to ihe

and under

coverts, vent

deep black.

Beneath from throat

wnt

dull green.

On

tiie

eeiitre of the

back isabrusli of dark sap green feathers, rough and bristiv, and
Rill blackish

usually

smeared with a viscid secretion.

red.

legs and feet greenish Wack

and

iiides

brown

The

female

diffci^s

anLy

ill

having

thft

torehead

crown black, dotted with

\t-i-

lowirih wli.ite.

Length under 6 Inches \^lng

ta -Ti'^^Cre.st long
;

tjj

Tail
;

t^*

Tarsus
;

vkiIi Bill

(at front) is^h.

form peculiarly robust

feet large

^vings long..

Plate

XLI

Miller kih-

Reeve

i.onaon

imp

SCOPS TUNIA.

ORD. RAPTORES.
FAM. STRIGIDM.
GEN. SCOPS.

PLATE XLL
SCOPS SUNIA.

RED SCOPS OWL.

Synon. /5cops sunia

Hodgson,

As. Res. xix. 174.

Suppl. Cat.

Sc. pennaia H., apud Jerdon, 2d

When

I referred this

bird to S. pennata of Hodgson, I did so on the ground

little

of the great similarity of one of the states of plumage of this beautiful

Owl

to

an imperfect specimen of pennata kindly lent

British

me by Mr.

Blyth.

Mr. Gray of the

Museum now
it

refers

pennata

to the

European Scops Owl, S. xorca, though he

this species I recognise

previously placed
points

as distinct;

and on again examining

viz.,

many

of distinction between

the two birds,

sunia and xorca.

all

Mr. Blyth has

obtained several specimens in the neighbourhood of Calcutta,

in the red state of

plumage, and naturally doubts any change taking place, at least normally.
of this change
is

The

fact

well established

believe in

the American Scops Owl, figured by

Wilson, and as the majority of specimens I have obtained were in the grey plumage,

and some much more rufous than

others, I

am

myself confident of the identity of the

in the
it

two

birds.

Whether, however, the red be the young plumage, as

American

species, or the adult, I cannot

determine satisfactorily, but I suggest that

this.

may

be a

seasonal garb,

and

shall

endeavour to ascertain

This
I

Owl appears

to be widely distributed through India.

The

first

specimen

procured was found dead in

my

compound

at Madras.

I have since seen specimens

from Malabar and Travancore, and obtained several others from the Eastern Ghats
near Nellore.

Mr. Blyth has got

it

at Calcutta,

and Mr. Hodgson

in Nepal, but
It is

it

has not yet I believe been sent from any of the Malay Countries.

stated to
specific

be quite nocturnal in

its habits,

and to

live chiefly

on

insects.

Mr. Hodgson's

Illustrations of Indian Ornithology.

name

is

derived

from the native, meaning

golde?!,

and Telinga Shikarees

called

it

Chitta Gooha.
I

shall

now

give

descriptions of the

different

states of

plumage

1st.

The

uniform rufous as figured.

In this the whole of the upper parts are bright ferruginous,

shafts.

a few only of the feathers with black

Scapulars white, tipped with black

white,

feathers of the ruff also edged with black

beneath

much

tinged with rufous

on the breast,
stripe,
differs

least

so

on the under

tail

coverts, the feathers

with a black central

2d. Another state

and cross markings

from
this in

quills

and

tail

obscurely dark banded.

having the central black streak and cross markings fully developed
tail

on

all

the feathers, and the quills and

darker banded.

third state has the

in

ground colour of a beautiful pale grey, but with the markings as

the

last,

here
tail

and there generally a

little

rufous
ruff.

still

discernible, especially

on the wings and

as also on the aigrettes and

Length 65 inches to 7
I shall

the wing

is S^^^ths,

and the

tail is 2i%-ths

tarsus ^ths.

notice

here

that this old established generic

name Scops has been

lately

changed at home for Ephialtes, the former being now applied to the crowned

Cranes.

FlateXLlI

\t?^

MiVtec Htk.

ReeTe

'

LoncLan)

imp

FRANCOLmUS

HARDl/^ICKII.

ORD. RASORES.
FAM. TFTRAONIDm.
GEN. FRANCOLINUS.

PLATE XLIL
FRANCOLINUS HARDWICKIIFEMALE.

FEMALE PAINTED SPUR-FOWL.

Synon.

Perdix benulasa, Val., P. Hardwickii, Gray, Hardw. 111. Ind. Zool. F. Ad. Delessert, Curria Partridge* LB,tha.m Jitta Kodee, Teloogoo.

nivostis,

The
by Gray
in in

male of

this

very handsome' Spur-fowl has been figured twice,

firstly

Hardwicke's Illustrations of Indian Zoology, and afterwards by Delessert

the Magasin de Zoologie

but
I

the hen-bird has, I believe, not

yet been described.

Mr. Blyth

I see gives benulasa Val. as the prior specific appellation.

In Southei'n India

have only found

it

in the Jungles of the

Eastern Ghats,

and

in

some of the spurs that jut out from the Ghats, both above and below.
it

M.

Delessert got

from the neighbourhood of Pondicherry.

I

got
it

many
is

specimens from

the Ghats inland from Nellore, and

have been told that

it

found near Bellary,

it

Cuddapah and Hydrabad.

Further north I never saw

from Goomsoor, and

it

is

unknown

in

Bengal and the Himalayas.

General Hardwicke procured

in the

North

West

of India I believe.
It

associates in small flocks, keeping to the

low shrubs and brushwood, and

I

seeking

its

food

among

fallen leaves

and low herbage.

it is

kept several individuals of

this species alive for

some time, and found that

like

a most pugnacious and quarrel-

some

bird.

It carries its tail erect

its

the Jungle fowl, to which the natives invariaof F. spadiceus

;

bly assert

affinity, as

well as that

and Mr. Blyth places them

in his genus Gallo perdix, retaining

Francolinus

for the

common

Partridge of India,

F. ponticerianus, and the Black Partridge of Bengal, F. communis, which are much

more

allied

to Partridges,

and

in

which the hens are not usually spurred as

in

Gallo

perdiv.

Ilhistrations of Indian Ornithology.

I

have found that both the spotted and

common

Spur-fowl feed

much on
wood

insect food in the

wild state, especially on the larv.t of two or three kinds of

in

bug (Rediivius) so abundant

Description.

most of our Jungles.

generally of a dusky greenish brown, paling beneath,

Plumage

and inclining

to

fulvescent

on the breast and abdomen.

Top

of head

dark brown,

with deep ferruginous streaks, of which latter colour are the

face,

superciliary stripe
buff,

and

chin,

some of the feathers of

this

portion being centred

with pale

which

colour forms a
ear.

marked streak extending from the base

Legs cinereous.

of the lower mandible to the

Bill

horny brown.

Length about 12? inches

wing 6

tail

tarsus 1^.
fine

The Cock-bird

differs in

having the whole head and neck black with numerous

chesnut also white spotted, each
breast

white spots, the back and feathers of the* leg

spot

surrounded

with

glossy

black,

lower
tail

part

of

and abdomen

buff,

black

spotted, lower tail coverts, wings,

and

brownish, the former slightly streaked white.

Plate

XL HI

Millei-

litli

Rt-fVL-

l.aiiOt.ii

iini

r\[\.{ )H(

ii':ii

;;

.1

!.

hi x

iiii

FAM. BRACHYPODIN^.
GEN. CHLOROPSIS.

PLATE

XLIII.

CHLOROPSIS JERDONI.

COMMON GREEN BULBUL.

Synon.
C. cochinsinensis,

apud Jerclon, Cat. No. 72. Phyllornis Jerdoni, Blyth Jour. As. Bengal 1844, page 392, and 1845, page 564.

It

is

somewhat remarkable that a

species so extensively distributed,

and by

no means uncommon, and of which specimens must have been frequently taken home,
should only within the last three years have been discriminated from
its

congeners.

The

cause

of this

is

to

be found partly in the great similarity of plumage of the

(till

birds of this very natural genus, and partly in the carelessness

of late years) of

Naturalists in unravelling synonyms.

As Dr. Roxburgh

received from
for

some

Critic

on

his

magnificent

work on Indian Plants most unmerited censure

which name the ignorant writer attributed
to

figuring the
himself,

Roxburghia
I

gloriosoides,
I

Roxburgh

beg to observe that

after myself.

am

indebted to Mr. Blyth for the honor of having this bird

named

The genus was

in Jardine

first

defined

(in

England) and the known species recorded

It appears,

and Selby's

Illustrations of Ornithology.

however, that Phyllornis

of Miiller has the priority, and

must therefore hereafter be adopted.

and the Malayan provinces, and has been the
the
natural

The genus

is

peculiar to India
its

cause of some discussion as to

others, places
it,

place in

system.

Mr. Blyth, among

along with Jora, as a particular sub-family of Melipkagidce, peculiar

its

to Southern Asia and

Islands,
it

and Mr. Gray places

it

in his

Meliphagince.

Mr.

Blyth, however, allows that

it

conducts to the Bulbuls, Brachypodmce, in which family

it

is

placed by Swainson

and

will be

seen from the heading of this article, that I

adopt this view, to which I

the

am

led partly

by the
of

habits of the bird, and partly

pencilled
or

by
of

geographical distribution.

Its

possession

brushed tongue,

Illustrations of
whic'li
its
it
it

Indian Ornithology.

does not

make

typical use, appears to

me

i-allier

an analogical character, and

I

other alliances heing confessedly with the

there.

Brachypodinae,

have preferred placing

The

subject of the present article

is

is

spread over great part of the Continent

It
is

of India, wherever there

all

a sufficiency of woodland.

extremely

common
is

in

the

Western
in the

provinces,

and

in

the

Jungles of the

Eastern Ghats, but

rarely

met with

open country of the Carnatic, Mysore or Hydrabad, and there only

in the vicinity of well

wooded towns.

It

is

usually to be

met with

in

pairs,

flitting

about the extreme branches of trees, examining the leaves for various insects, after

which

it

occasionally
fruit.

takes a

short

flight

of a foot
its

or two, or

searching for
as

some

suitable

It

has a somewhat varied note,

usual

call

being,

Mr. Blyth
softened

remarks, not unlike that of the King

Crow (Dicrurus macrocercus,) though

is

down and mellowed, and

occasionally

very agreeable.

have seen a nest and eggs

cup-shaped

of this species in possession of S.

N. Ward, Esq.

It is a neat but slight,

nest composed chiefly of fine grass,

and was placed near the extremity of a branch,

some of the nearest leaves being,

it.

it

was

said,

brought down and loosely surrounding

Its

It

contained two

eggf-,

white with a few claret-coloured blotches.

nest

and

eggs, I
article,

may

remark, show an analogy to that of the Orioles as mentioned in a previous

Plate

XV., which

is

also

a representative

among

the

true

Thrushes of the
so generally,

Meliphagous or Tenuirostral

tribes.

The

Orioles being

by some, though not

assigned to the Meliphaghidce, this

of those

may seem

an additional proof of the correctness

I

who would

place our bird in the

same group, but

only see in

it

another

proof

of the

universality

of

the principle of

Representation,

which pervades every

tribe throughout the

animated world.

Description.

Male,

of the

beautiful

pale green

colour prevalent

throughout
of
pale
blue.

the genus.

Face,

chin,

throat and gorge

black,

surrounded with
Shoulder-spot,

zone

yellowish green.

Moustache, shining smalt blue.

in

shining azure

The female
green,

diff'ers

having the parts that are black in the male of a light bluish
blue.

and the moustachial streak azure Length from 7

to

7? inches

wing

3^'tail

2f

tarsus

nearly ^ths.

Irides

pale brown.

Bill dusky.

Legs cinereous.
is

The only
icus, (Lath.,)
is

other species met with on the Peninsula of India

the C. Malabar-

C. ccesmarhynchos, apud Tiekell, C. aurifrons of

my

Cat.

This species

much more

rare than the last, preferring the vicinity of lofty Jungles,

and

is

only

to be found about the

Western Coast, and some of the denser portions of the Jungles

Illustrations of Indian Ornithology.

of the Eastern

Ghats.

It

is

nearly allied to the

C.

aurifrons of Northern India.

S,,

fourth very beautiful species, C. Hardwickii, J. and

C.

Cwvirostris, Sw., C.
Deless., is

cyanopterus,

Hodgs.,

C. chrysogaster,

McL. and

H.,

and C. auriventris,

found in the Himalayas and Eastern India.

Three species are found

J.

in the

Malay Peninsula and

isles,

viz.,

C. Sonneratii,

and

S.,

C, cyanopogon, T,,

and C. cochinsinensis, Lath.

ORD. RAPTORES.
FAM. FALCONIN^^.
GEN. FALCO.

PLATE

XLIV.

FALCO LUGGUR.

THE LUGGUR FALCON.

Synon.

F. juggur

GrayHaidwicke's
already in these

111.

Ind. Zool. 2

26.
two

F. thermophilus, Hodgs.,

Gray's Zool. Misc.

I fine

HAVE

Illustrations

figured

states

of plumage

of a

Falcon, (the Shaheen,) and I

in
less

now

give a drawing of another equally large,

much

more common, and held

peregrinus,)
cultivation,

estimation

by the Natives.

Whilst the Bhyree (F.

lakes,
rivers,

prefers

the

sea

coast

and the neighbourhood of

in

and

Avet

and the Shaheen (F. peregrinator) delights

open dry

hilly

and wooded regions,

of cultivation.

the Luggur, on the contrary, frequents

It

])laius,

and

vicinity

makes

its

nest in

some
eggs.

lofty tree,

generally one standing alone

it

among some

grain

fields,

and lays four

In a wild state

preys on a great variety of small birds,

It
is

often

snatching up a chicken, even in the midst of a Cantonment.

trained to

hunt Crows, Paddj--birds, Partridges

to kill the Heron, A. cinerea.

and

Florikin; and,

it

is

said,

has been trained

In hawking Crows, C, culminatus

the Crow,

chieflj-,

it

is

slipped from the

hand

and

when aware

of

its

danger, uses every artifice to escape, taking refuge

I once

among

cattle, horses, vehicles,

and even entering houses.

had a Luggur whose wing-

feathers were burnt off

to take refuge

by a washerman's
was
struck.

fire,

close to

which the Crow was attempting

when

it

After Paddy-birds
is

(Ardea huhulcus)

it

is

also

slipped from the hand, and as this bird

always found on the plains feeding among

herds of

cattle, it affords considerable sport

by

its

dexterity in diving

among and under

the cattle, and the venturotis

Hawk

is

occasionally trodden under the feet of the cattle.

is

When

the quarry

is

a Partridge or a Florikin the standing gait

used as described

TiateXLIV.

IVIilleclLti.

E.eeve < London) imp-

PAL CO LUG&UR.

Illustrations of

Indian Ornithology.
Luggurs, as well as Shaheens, are always
instruction

under the head of the Shaheen, (Plate XII.)

.caught after they have left the nest

and have had some

by

their parents,

our native Falconers considering them better than when taken from the nest, contrary
I

believe to the opinion of our

English

Adam
is

Woodcocks.

The Luggur appears

to

inhabit the whole

continent of India
I

and

enumerated among the

Hawks
its

used in
changes

Scinde by the late Sir A. Burnes.

of plumage.

add a description of the Luggur and of

The young

bird, as represented in the

accompanying Plate,

is

throughout of

an earth-brown colour, except the superciliary

tail coverts,

stripe, cheeks,

chin, throat,

and under-

which are of a pale yellowish white colour, more marked in some individuals

than in others, and in some of a purer white.

of the plumage, and the
tail

The

quills

are darker than the rest

is

has sometimes an ashy tinge.

The head

usually,

though

not always, paler, sometimes quite rufous, and the feathers edged with creamy white,

and the forehead

is

generally of this latter tinge.

In the second year the brown feathers

;

of the upper plumage are paler and with more of an ashy tinge throughout

beneath,

the feathers of the neck and breast are snow white, with a central brown mark.

In

the third year

white, with a

still

more of the
spot,
this

breast,

and part of the abdominal feathers become

the upper portion of the breast being

brown

mark on

now

nearly obliterated; the feathers of the back too are

now

quite cinereous.
still

In the fourth

year the breast becomes quite white unspotted, a few brown spots
the

remaining on
is

abdomen^which

disappear nearly with the next moult.

lines.

In

all

the head

paler,

sometimes rufous with a few dark

The

leg feathers also always remain brown.

The upper plumage

is

pale cinereous, usually edged

with light brown, and the nape

all

and hind neck always continue brown.

studded with large white spots.

The

quills

have at

ages their inner webs

In the young bird the cere orbits and legs are light
first,

cinereous blue, which afterwards changes to yellow, pale at

Irides deep brown.

brighter with age.

Length of a female 19 inches

claw 2f

wing
is

\5\

tail

tarsus 2centre
but there
is

toe with

weight

ftli.

The male

bird

considerably smaller,

not such

a difference between the sexes as in the Peregrine and the Shaheen.

The Hindustani name

for the male.

of this Falcon
called

is

Luggur

for

the female, and

Juggur

In Teloogoo

it

is

Luggadoo evidently the same word.

Besides the Shaheen, Luggur and Besra, already figured in the present Illustrations,

the following

Hawks

are

known

to,

and used by native Falconers.

1st.

The

Bhyree, Falco peregrinus.

An

abundant

visitant to

our coasts during the cold season.

Illustrations of Indian Ornithology.

2d.

The Turoomtee, F.

chicquera, a permanent resident,

4th.

3d.

The Bax, Astur palum5th.

barius, rare in the South of India.

The

Gorbesra, Astur indictis, also rare.

6th.

The Basha,

Accipiter fringillarius, a cold weather visitant to hilly regions.

lastly, the

The

Shikra, Ace. Dussumierii, abundant throughout India and

Khandesra, pro-

bably the Ace. virgatus-^verj rare, and said only to be found on the East coast.

Plate Xl.V,

MUcrHih-

Rceve London. unp.

(
)

ANTHUS

SIMILIS.

ORB. IJVSESSOJRJES.
FAM. MOTACILLINM.
GEN. ANTHUS.

PLATE

XLV.

ANTHUS SIMILISJERDON.

MOUNTAIN TITLARK.
The
all

group of Larks, and Titlarks,

is

one of the most

in

difficult

to define of

the feathered tribes, their

plumage being

general

so

extremely similar, that

without accurate measurements and comparisons of allied species, numerous mistakes

are unavoidable.

Mr. Blyth has

lately, in
all

one of his excellent papers in the Journal

the Indian species
;

of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, revised

list

and Mr. Gray,

in his

of Hodgson's birds, has also enumerated several.

all.

The

subject of our present article

birds,

is

certainly one of the rarest of

It is not

enumerated among Hodgson's

it

but I see that Lord A.

Hay

has lately obtained

at

Jummoo

in the

North West

Himalayas.
hills

My

first

specimens were procured at Jalna, in the neighbourhood of low

I have since, on several occasions, seen
feet high,
it

on a bare

plain.

on the Segoor Pass

little

of the Neelgherries,
that
it

among rocky ground about 4,000

be found to frequent rocky
it

and have

doubt

will eventually

hills

throughout the table land of

procured a specimen in what

India.
is

presume that
its

is

a resident here,

for I lately

evidently

nestling

plumage on the Segoor Ghat.

Description.Plumage above generally of a dusky olive brown, the feathers

edged with pale ferruginous, darkest on the margins of the wing feathers; beneath,

and superciliary

stripe

also

pale ferruginous,

streaked on the neck and breast with

brown; outermost

tail-feather

with the outer web and tip rusty white, and the next

tipped with the same only.

Irides brown.
tail

Length 8 inches
tP forehead

wing S^ths

3|tarsus

rather more than an

inchbill

j^jths hind claw nearly

iV*^^s.

Illustrations of

Indian Ornithology.

This species (which equals

it

differs

abundantly both in habits and structure from A. Richardi,

is

in size,)

and

one of the best marked species of the group.

paddy-fields,

Richard's
localities
is

Pipit frequents chiefly

marshy ground, and wet

and

in

such

more abundant

in

Southern India than I previously imagined.

follows

Other Pipits found

in

the Peninsula are as

J. maculatus, Hodgs.; J. arboreus, of Indian writers,

very abundant as a cold weather visitant; A. striolatus, Blyth, placed by Mr. Gray in
his
list

as

a s3'nonyni

of A. rufescens of Europe.
I

This species appears also to be

only a cold weather visitant.

found

it

abundant on plains near Ncllore sprinkled

Pipit

with bushes of

Euphorbia, on
Sykes,

which

the
Cat.,

frequently

perched.

A. malayensis,

Eyton, A.

agllis,

and Jerdon

A. pallescens,
India.

apud Sundevall.

most

abundant and common species throughout

all

A. rufuhis of apud Jerdon, Cat.

lastly,

No.
olini

192., lately obtained

by Mr. Blyth near Calcutta and

A. montana, Jerdon,

A. rufescens, Cat. No. 191

only seen

on the Neelgherries, where tolerably common.

Plate XLVl.

^'

MiUr^r

iirh

S.eeve

<

Londloa imp
)

PARUS NUCHALIS

ORB. I^SJESSORES.
FAM. PARING.
GEN. PAR US.

PLATE

XLVI.

PARUS NUCHALIS.

WHITE NAPED TITMOUSE.

I

OBTAINED

this

unexpected addition to the fauna of Southern India from

the Jungles of the Eastern Ghats, and the Shikarees

it

who brought

it

to

me

stated that

inhabits the highest portion

it

of the hills in thick forest, and lives in pairs.

They

said

was very

rare,

and

have not succeeded

in

obtaining any other specimens

beyond the pair

first

procured.

Description.
cheeks,

Above,

and a broad mesial

stripe

from throat to vent, black;

coverts, spot

sides of neck,

of breast, and of belly,

tertials

under-tail

on nape and

band across wing, white;

broadly margined externally and tipped with white;

its

outermost tail-feather white, except

portion of inner

inner border, the next with the outer

outer

web and
and
for

web

white, and the third with the

Bill black.

web white

at tip

most of

its

basal half.

Legs plumbeous.
tail

Length

5 inches

wing 2f ths

tarsus fths

bill

5 inch nearly to gape.

The

other Pari of Southern India are P. cinereus, V,, P. atriceps, T., abundant

on the Neelgherries; and P. aplonotus, Blyth, P. xanthogenys, apud Sykes and Jerdon
only lately discriminated from the allied P. aianthogenys of the Himalayas.

This

is

abundant in Coorg, on the slopes of the Neelgherries, and indeed

of the

all

along the range

Western Ghats.

P. melanolophus I have only seen in Goomsoor.

ORD. IJVSESSOMES.
FAM. PICIBJE.
GEN. PIC US.

PLATE

XLVII.

PJCUS CEYLONUS.

RED WOODPECKER.
Synon.
P. ceylonus, Forst., P. negledus, Wagler.

HAVE
it

figured this

interesting

species

of

Woodpecker from
it

the

island

of

Ceylon, where

was procured by Lord A. Hay, and where

appears to be not uncom-

mon, replacing (says Mr. Blyth) the common P. bengalensis of the Indian continent,
to

which

it

assimilates in structure, belonging to the

same

division Brachyptermts.

Description.

Above

of a dull crimson colour, brighter on the head and crest

stripes,

beneath
brown.

white, with

brown markings; streak from the eye and two narrow

one from above the gape, and the other from the edge of the lower mandible, dark
Bill yellow.

Legs cinereous.

rialeXLVIL

IHler

lith

Reeve

(lorLclorL)

imp.

FICDS ZEYLONUS

FlateXLVm.

MUlcr

lith,

J\ec_ve-

'

i.ouaon

imp

COLUMBA ELPHrNSTONir

ORD. MASOJRES.
FAM. COLUMBIBM.
GEN. COLUMBA.

PLATE

XLVIIL

COLUMBA ELPHINSTONII.

NEELGHERRY WOOD PIGEON.

Synon.
Ptilinopus ElpJiinstonii

Sykes

C. pulchricoUis, Hodgs.

? ?

This handsome Pigeon

have only hitherto found in the dense woods on

it

the summit of the Neelgherries, hut as Sykes found

in the

woods of the Western

all

Ghats, I have no doubt that hereafter

parts
or

it

will
is

be ascertained to inhabit
single,

the higher
of four

of

that

range of mountains.

It

found

or

in

small parties

five.

It in general
it

keeps to the woods, living on various fruit and berries, but

procure various seeds and shells
I

occasionally

descends to the ground to

its

(Bulimi)
call

which

have frequently found in

crop.

am

unacquainted with

its

and

nidification,

though
it

it

certainly breeds on the Neelgherries.

it

Colonel Sykes,

its original

describer,

makes

a Ptilinopus, but

is

clearly (as

Mr. Blyth ingeniously imagined

from

its

mode

of coloration alone, for he

had not seen a specimen) a true Columha

in his list of

of the subdivision

Palumbus

or Cushat,

Mr. Gray

Hodgson's specimens
of

presented to the British Museum, makes the

C. pulchricoUis

that

gentleman a

synonym

of this

Pigeon, which however I cannot assent to, on comparing the bird

now

before

me

with

Mr,

Blyth's

copious
I

description

of pulchricoUis.

add

description of Elphinstonii, which

name

may mention was

given in honor of the

Governor of Bombay, the Hon. Moimstuart Elphinstone.

Head, neck and plumage

beneath ashy, the neck and breast glossed with green; a large nuchal mark black,
the
feathers

tipped white
Quills

plumage above of a copper colour glossed

tail

slightly with
tip.

purple and green.

lake coloured.

and

dusky black.

Bill red, yellowish at the

Feet

Irides yellow.

Length about 15 inches

wing Sj

tail

6.

ORB. K^^SESSORES.
FAM. CRATEROPODINM.
GEN. XIPHORHAMPHUS.

PLATE

XLIX.

XIPHORHAMPHUS SUPERCILIARIS.
SCIMITAR BILLED BABBLER.
Synon.

Xiphirhynchus superciliaris

Blyth,

J.

A.

S.,

1842, p. 173.

Mr. Blyth
rhamphus on account
torhinua,

defines his genus Xiphirhynchus, afterwards

changed to Xiphoto

of

the

first

being

preoccupied,

as follows

Allied

Poma-

but the
its

bill

much

longer

and more slender, and very thinly compressed

extreme base, and describing a considerable
in

througliout
incurvation.

length, widening only at the

tail

Plumage, wings, and

slender

as
I

Pamaforkimis, but the toes and claws

its
is

rather more
separation

and elongated.

think that these characters hardly allow

from

Pomatorhinus, being

merely

more finely expressed.

is

This

bird

"reported to be a pleasing Songster," but this

of most of the familj-.
Desci-iption.
It inhabits Darjeeling.

at

variance with the

known

habits

Above

uniform

brown,

the

quills

and

tail

dusky

beneath

rufo-ferruginous
superciliar)-

crown, occiput, and sides of the head, dark cinereous with a narrow
occiput;

white line extending to the

throat whitish, streaked with grey;

breast

obscurely spotted

with dusky

shoulders

and

tibial

feathers

dark grey

bill

dusky; legs brown.

Length 85 inches
hind toe and claw
1.

wing

21

tail

3f

bill

1|

in

a straight

line

tarsus

The female

differs in

being slightly smaller, and in the colouring of the under

parts being not so bright.

FLaie^XL/X.

XIPKOi;A:y[

?\\

\\

si!

i'j-:ium.j

,i

ap:t

J'latf./..

ORB. IN^ESSORES.
FAM. PICID.^.
GEN. INDICATOR.

PLATE

L.

INDICATOR XANTHONOTUSBLYTH.

YELLOW BACKED HONEY

I

GUIDE.
as

CONSIDER

the

discovery

of

this

bird at Darjeeling

one of the most

to

interesting

among

the

numerous

novelties

Mr. Blyth

has

had occasion

describe

during his sojourn in India.*

interest

The only recorded

species belong to Africa,

and the

attached to their peculiar habits has been recorded by several travellers in

that country, and has I believe been confirmed

tion

by recent

writers.

For the informa-

of such

as

have not had an opportunity of becoming acquainted with these

here mention, that the

peculiarities, I
is

may

common

African

Honey Guide (Indicator)

said to direct the negroes

their

by a

peculiar cry or whistle to the tree where the bees

flights

have taken up

residence,

advancing before them by longer or shorter

of the object
is

according to the greater or less distance

the tree,
its

of pursuit.

As

it

approaches

flights

become more

limited, its whistle

repeated at shorter intervals,

it

and

at last, having brought its associates to the desired spot, as

if

hovers over

it

for

moment
little

to

mark

it

out distinctly, and then quietly takes up a station at a

distance,
fails

waiting

the result,
It

and

expecting

its

share
if
is

of

the

booty,

which

it

never
has

to obtain.

would be interesting to know

its

our Indian

Honey Guide

similar

habits

with

African congeners, and

it

hoped that some resident

this subject.

at Darjeeling will endeavour to obtain

I

some information on

add a description of our

bird.

Plumage generally of a dusky brown, tinged with green on the crown and
back of the neck
;

forehead and throat pale yellow

;

rump
;

fine

golden yellow

beneath

ashy with dark streaks

white.
Bill

the

lower tail-coverts blackish

tertiaries

margined

with

horny brown.

Legs dusky.
Sfths
J.

Length 6 inches

wing

S.,

tail

2%

tarsus

5.

Vide

A.

Bengal, 1842, page 166.

CLASSIFIED INDEX OF CONTENTS.

RAPTORES.
Nisaetus Bonelli,
Plate
. 1

Pastor Blythii,

. -

Plate 22

Mirafra Erythroptera,
Similis,
_
-

38
-

Buteo Rufiventer,
Falco Peregrinator,
Falco Luggur,
-

27 Anthus

45
18

12 28 Palaeornis Columboides,
-

Accipiter Besra,
Strix Candidus,

44 Picus Hodgsonii, 4 29 Picus Cordatus, 30 Picus Ceylonus,

41 Bucco Viridis,

...

.
-

40

47
26

Scops Sunia,

INSESSORES.
Lanius Nigriceps,
Phaenicornis Flammeus,
-

Zanclostomus
e
_ .

Viridirostris,
-

3 50

17 Indicator Xanthonotus, 11 Dicaeum Concolor,

<
M

39

Brachypus Rubineus,
Brachypus Poioicephalus,
-

37 Ceyx

Tridactyla,

25 24

31 Caprimulgus Indicus,
_

"

Pycnonotus XantholaemuS;
Phyllornis Jerdoni,

35
~

43
15

RASORES.
Vinaga Bicincta,
=.

Oriolus Indicus,

_
.

21

Petrocincla Pandoo,

20

Columba

Elphinstonii,

48
42
_
. "

Francolinus Benulasa,

Turdus Wardii,
Crateropus Delesserti,
-

8
Pterocles Quadricinctus,

13
Otis Aurita,
_
-

10,36
33

Malacocircus Griseus,

19

Xiphoramphus

Superciliaris,

. -

49 46 Ardea
6
-

GRALLATORES.
Flavicollis,

Parus Nuchalis,
Prinia Cursitans,

...

. .

12

Scolopax Nemoricola,

Muscipela Paradisea,
Leucocirca Albofrontata,
_

7
. .

NATATORES.
-

Muscicapa Albicaudata,
Muscicapula Sapphira,
.

14 Anas Caryophyllacea,

34
23

32 Dendrocygna Major,

S ^U^
/V T^oT

w*^