It is, therefore, necessary, when speaking of a plains bird as occurring or not occurring on the hills, to define precisely what is intended by this expression.

That which follows is written for people who visit the Nilgiri hill stations in the hot weather, and therefore the birds described are those which occur at elevations of 5500 feet and upwards in the summer. Those which visit the hills only in winter are either altogether ignored or given but the briefest mention.

This article does not deal exhaustively with the birds of the Nilgiris; it is merely a short account of the birds commonly seen in the higher regions of those hills during the summer months. To compile an exhaustive list would be easy. I refrain from doing so because a reader unacquainted with Indian ornithology would, if confronted by such a list, find it difficult to identify the common birds.

With this by way of introduction, I will proceed to describe the birds in question, dealing with them according to the classification adopted in the standard book on Indian ornithology—the bird volumes of the "Fauna of British India" series.

THE CORVIDAE OR CROW FAMILY

This family is not nearly so well represented on the Nilgiris as it is in the Himalayas. The only crow found on the Nilgiris is the Indian corby (Corvus macrorhynchus)—the large black crow familiar to persons living in the plains. He, alas, is plentiful in the various hill stations; but it is some consolation that the grey-necked Corvus ceases from troubling those who seek the cool heights.

Like the grey-necked crow, the Indian tree-pie is not found at the Nilgiri hill stations—5000 feet appears to be the highest elevation to which he attains.

Of the tits only one species can be said to be common on the higher Nilgiris: this is the Indian grey tit (Parus atriceps)—a striking little bird, smaller than a sparrow. The head, throat, and neck are black, and a strip of this hue runs down the middle of the abdomen. The wings and tail are grey. The cheeks, the sides of the abdomen, and a patch on the back of the head are white. There is also a narrow white bar in the wing, and the grey tail is edged with white. The bird is found all over India, but is far more abundant on the hills than in the plains.

Another tit which, I believe, does not ascend so high as Ootacamund, but which is not uncommon in the vicinity of Coonoor is the southern yellow tit (Machlolophus haplonotus). This bird is not, as its name would seem to imply, clothed from head to foot in yellow. Its prevailing hues are green and brown. The head, breast, and upper abdomen are bright yellow, except the crown, crest, a broad streak behind the eye, and a band running from the chin to the abdomen, which are black. It is impossible to mistake this sprightly little bird, which is like the English tom-tit in shape. Tits are arboreal in habits; they seldom descend to the ground. Sometimes they go about in small flocks. They are supposed to live chiefly on insects, but most of them feed on fruit and seeds also, and the grey tit, alas, eats peas, among which it works sad havoc. The inhabitants of the Nilgiris call this last Puttani kurivi, which, I understand, means the pea-bird.

THE CRATEROPODIDAE OR BABBLER FAMILY

This heterogeneous family is well represented in the Nilgiris.

The Madras seven sisters (Crateropus griseus) do not ascend the hills to any considerable height. But, of course there are seven sisters in the hills. Every part of India has its flocks of babblers. The Nilgiri babbler is a shy bird; it seems to dislike being watched. One might think it is aware that it is not so beautiful as it might be. But this cannot be the reason, because it has no objection to any person hearing its voice, which may be likened to the squeak of a rusty axle. This Nilgiri babbler does not enter gardens unless they are somewhat unkempt and contain plenty of thick bushes.

Mirabile dictu, this shy and retiring bird is none other than the jungle babbler (Crateropus canorus)—the common seven sisters or sath bhai—which in northern India is as bold and almost as confiding as the robin. No one has attempted to explain why the habits of this species on the Nilgiris should differ so much from those it displays in other places.

The southern scimitar-babbler (Pomatorhinus horsfieldi), like the jungle babbler on the Nilgiris, is a bird heard more often than seen.

Every person who has spent any time at Coonoor must be well acquainted with the notes of this species. A common call is a loud ko-ko-ko-e-e-e. Sometimes one bird calls ko-ko-ko, and another answers ko-ee. When the birds are feeding in company, they keep up a continual chatter, which is not unpleasing to the ear. When alarmed they give vent to a harsh cry of a kind characteristic of the babbler tribe. The scimitar-babbler is a bird nearly as big as a myna. It is of brownish hue and has a tail of moderate length. The breast and chin are pure white, and there is a white line running along each side of the head from front to back. The yellow beak is long and curved, hence the adjectival "scimitar." It is impossible to mistake the bird. The difficulty is to obtain anything more than a fleeting glimpse of it. It is so shy that it takes cover the instant it knows that it is being watched. It hops about in thick bushes with considerable address, much as a crow-pheasant does. It feeds on insects, which it picks off the ground or from leaves and trunks of trees. It uses the long bill as a probe, by means of which it secures insects lurking in the crevices of bark.

The Nilgiri laughing-thrush (Trochalopterum cachinnans) is a very common bird on the hills. Like the two species of babbler already described, it is a shy creature, living amid thick shrubs, from which it seldom ventures far. The head is slightly crested, the upper plumage, including the wings and tail, is olive brown. The head is set off by a white eyebrow. The under parts are chestnut. The beak and legs are black. Laughing-thrushes congregate in small flocks. They subsist chiefly on fruit. Their cry is loud and characteristic; it may be described as a bird's imitation of human laughter. Their cheerful calls are among the sounds heard most often at Ootacamund and Coonoor.

The Indian white-eye (Zosterops palpebrosa) is a bird that has puzzled systematists. Jerdon classed it among the tits, and its habits certainly justify the measure; but later ornithologists have not accepted the dictum "Manners makyth bird," and have placed the white-eye among the babblers.

The white-eye is a plump little bird, considerably smaller than a sparrow. The head and back are yellowish green, becoming almost golden in the sunlight. The wings and tail are brown. The chin, breast, and feathers under the tail are bright yellow, the abdomen is white. Round the eye is a ring of white feathers, interrupted in front by a black patch.

From this ring—its most striking feature—the bird has derived its name. The ring is very regular, and causes the bird to look as though it had been decorating its eye with Aspinall's best enamel.

White-eyes invariably go about in flocks; each member of the company utters unceasingly a cheeping note in order to keep his fellows apprized of his movements. These birds feed largely on insects, which they pick off leaves in truly tit-like manner, sometimes even hanging head downwards in order to secure a morsel.

The beautiful southern green-bulbul (Chloropsis malabarica) is numbered among the Crateropodidae. It is not a true bulbul. It is common on the lower slopes of the Nilgiris, but does not often venture as high as Coonoor. A rich green bulbul-like bird with a golden forehead, a black chin and throat, and a patch of blue on the wing can be none other than this species.

The true bulbuls are also classified among the Crateropodidae.

My experience is that the common bulbul of the plains—Molpastes haemorrhous, or the Madras red-vented bulbul—is very rarely seen at the Nilgiri hill stations. Jerdon, likewise, states that it ascends the Nilgiris only up to about 6000 feet. Davison, however, declares that the bird begins to get common 4 miles from Ootacamund and is very numerous about Coonoor and all down the ghats. Be this as it may, the Madras red-vented bulbul is not the common bulbul of the Nilgiris. Its sweet notes are very largely, if not entirely, replaced by the yet sweeter and more cheery calls of the hill-bulbul. It will be labour lost to look up this name in Oates's ornithology, because it does not occur in that work. The smart, lively little bird, whose unceasing twittering melody gives our southern hill stations half their charm, has been saddled by men of science with the pompous appellation Otocompsa fuscicaudata. Even more objectionable is the English name for the pretty, perky bird. What shall I say of the good taste of those who call it the red-whiskered bulbul, as though it were a seedy Mohammedan who dips his grizzly beard in a pot of red dye by way of beautifying it? I prefer to call this bird the southern hill-bulbul. This name, I admit, leaves something to be desired, because the species is not confined to the hills. It is to be found in most places along the west coast. Nor is it the only bulbul living on the hills. The justification for the name is that if a census were taken of the bird-folk who dwell in our hill stations, it would show that Otocompsa fuscicaudata outnumbered all the crows, mynas, sparrows, flycatchers, and sunbirds put together. It is the bird of the southern hills. Every thicket, every tree—nay, every bush on the hills—has its pair of bulbuls. This species has distinctive plumage. Its most striking feature is a perky crest, which arises from the crown of the head and terminates in a forwardly-directed point, like Mr. Punch's cap. The crest is black and gives the bird a very saucy air. The wings and tail are dark brown, but each feather has a pale edge, which makes a pattern like scales on a fish. Below the eye is a brilliant patch of crimson. A similarly-coloured but larger patch is displayed at the base of the tail. The lower part of the cheek is white; this is divided off from the snowy breast by a narrow black band. The breast is, in its turn, separated from the greyish abdomen by a broad black band, which ornithologists term a collaret. Sometimes the collaret is interrupted in the middle. The hill-bulbul is a most vivacious bird. From dawn to sunset it is an example of perpetual motion. Its vocal cords are as active as its wings. The tinkling sounds of this bulbul form the dominant notes of the bird chorus. Husband and wife almost always move about in company. They flit from tree to tree, from bush to bush, plucking raspberries and other hill fruit as they pass. Bulbuls eat insects, but not when fruit is available. Like all birds bulbuls have large appetites. Recently I saw an Otocompsa devour three wild raspberries within as many minutes, each berry was swallowed at one gulp—a surprising feat, considering the small size of the bird's bill.

A bulbul's nest is a beautifully-shaped cup, usually placed in a bush at about 3 feet from the ground. As a rule, the bulbul selects an exposed site for its nest; in consequence many of the eggs are devoured by lizards. Crows in particular are addicted to young bulbuls, and take full advantage of the simplicity of the parent birds. Probably, three out of four broods never reach maturity. But the bulbul is a philosophic little bird. It never cries over broken eggs. If one clutch is destroyed it lays another.

The yellow-browed bulbul (Iole icteria) demands notice in passing, because it is common on the minor ranges. Its upper plumage is greenish yellow, the wings being darker than the back. The lower parts are canary yellow; the bird has also a yellow ring round the eye. Its note has been described as a soft, mellow whistle.

A very different bird is the southern or Nilgiri black bulbul (Hypsipetes ganeesa). This is an untidy-looking creature. Its crest is ragged. Its general hue is shabby black or brown, tinged with grey in places. The bill and feet are bright coral red. Black bulbuls utter a variety of notes, most of which are pleasing to the human ear, although they incline to harshness. The birds go about in flocks.

THE SITTIDAE OR NUTHATCH FAMILY

Nuthatches are little climbing birds characterised by short tails. Like woodpeckers, they feed on insects, which they pick off the trunks and branches of trees. Unlike woodpeckers, however, they move about the trunks of trees with the head pointing indifferently downwards or upwards. The common nuthatch of the Nilgiris is the velvet-fronted blue nuthatch (Sitta frontalis). The upper plumage is dark blue, the cock having a velvety-black forehead and a black streak through the eye. The lower parts are creamy white. The bill is coral red. The note is a loud tee-tee-tee.

THE DICRURIDAE OR DRONGO FAMILY

Several species of drongo or king-crow occur on the Nilgiris, but not one of them is sufficiently abundant to be numbered among the common birds of the hill stations.

THE SYLVIIDAE OR WARBLER FAMILY

Of the warblers it may be said "their name is legion." So many species exist, and the various species are so difficult to differentiate, that the family drives most field ornithologists to the verge of despair. Many of the Indian warblers are only winter visitors to India. Eliminating these, only two warblers are entitled to a place among the common birds of the Nilgiris. These are the tailor-bird and the ashy wren-warbler.

At Coonoor the tailor-bird (Orthotomus sartorius) is nearly as abundant as it is in the plains. Oates, be it noted, states that this species does not ascend the hills higher than 4000 feet. As a matter of fact, the tailor-bird does not venture quite up to the plateau, but it is perfectly at home at all elevations below 6000 feet. This species may be likened to a wren that has grown a respectable tail. The forehead is ruddy brown, the back of the head is grey, the back is brown tinged with green. The lower plumage is a pale cream colour. There is a black patch or bar on each side of the neck, visible only when the bird stretches its neck to utter its loud to-wee, to-wee, to-wee. In the breeding season the shafts of the middle pair of tail feathers of the cock grow out beyond the rest. These projecting, bristle-like feathers render the cock easy of identification.

The ashy wren-warbler (Prinia socialis) is another "tiny brownie bird." The wings and tail are brown, the remainder of the upper plumage is the colour of ashes, the under parts are cream coloured. This warbler is a slight, loosely-built bird, and is easily distinguished from others of its kind by the curious snapping noise it makes as it flits from bush to bush. It occurs in pairs or singly. Davison remarks that it is "very fond of working its way up to some conspicuous post—to the top of one of the long flower-stalks of Lobelia excelsa, for instance—where it will halt for a minute or two, and then, after making a feeble attempt at a song, will dive suddenly in the brushwood and disappear."

THE LANIIDAE OR SHRIKE FAMILY

Shrikes or butcher-birds are hawks in miniature, as regards habits if not in structure. With the exception of the brown shrike (Lanius cristatus), which is merely a winter visitor to India, the rufous-backed shrike (L. erythronotus) is the only butcher-bird common on the Nilgiris. The head of this species is pale grey, the back is of ruddy hue. The lower parts are white. The forehead and a broad band running through the eye are black. A bird having a broad black band through the eye is probably a shrike, and if the bird in question habitually sits on an exposed branch or other point of vantage, and from thence swoops on to the ground to secure some insect, the probability of its being a butcher-bird becomes a certainty.

Closely related to the shrikes are the minivets. Minivets are birds of tit-like habits which wander about in small flocks from place to place picking insects from the leaves of trees. They are essentially arboreal birds. I have never seen a minivet on the ground.

The common minivet of the Nilgiris is the orange minivet (Pericrocotus flammeus). The head and back of the cock are black. His wings are black and flame-colour, the red being so arranged as to form a band running lengthwise and not across the wing. The tail feathers are red, save the median pair, which are black. During flight the flashing red obliterates the black, so that the moving birds resemble tongues of flame and present a beautiful and striking spectacle. The hen is marked like the cock, but in her the red is replaced by bright yellow. This beautiful bird ceases to be abundant at elevations higher than Coonoor.

THE ORIOLIDAE OR ORIOLE FAMILY

Both the Indian oriole (Oriolus kundoo) and the black-headed oriole (O. melanocephalus) occur on the Nilgiris, but on the higher ranges they are nowhere numerous. They therefore merit only passing notice.

THE STURNIDAE OR STARLING FAMILY

The common myna of the Nilgiris is not Acridotheres tristis but AEthiopsar fuscus—the jungle myna. The casual observer usually fails to notice any difference between the two species, so closely do they resemble one another. Careful inspection, however, shows that the jungle myna has a little patch of feathers in front of the head over the beak. AEthiopsar fuscus has all the habits of the common myna. Like the latter, it struts about sedately in company with cattle in order to snatch up the grasshoppers disturbed by the moving quadrupeds. It feeds largely on the insects that infest the capsules of Lobelia excelsa, and is often to be seen clinging, like a tit, to the stem in order to secure the insects. Davidson gives these mynas a very bad character, he declares that they do immense damage to the fruit gardens on the Nilgiris, so that without the aid of nets, it is next to impossible to preserve pears from their depredations.

No other species of myna is common on the Nilgiris.

THE MUSCICAPIDAE OR FLYCATCHER FAMILY

As in the Himalayas so on the Nilgiris the family of flycatchers is well represented. In one small Nilgiri wood I have come across no fewer than six species of flycatcher.

The beautiful little black-and-orange flycatcher (Ochromela nigrirufa) is a bird peculiar to the hills of Southern India.

The head and wings of the cock are black, the rest of the body is orange, of deeper hue on the back and breast than on the other parts. The portions of the plumage that are black in the cock are slaty brown in the hen. This flycatcher feeds on insects. But unlike most of its kind, it picks them off the ground more often than it secures them in the air.

It never takes a long flight, and almost invariably perches on a branch not more than two feet above the ground. It emits a low cheeping note—a chur-r-r, which is not unlike the sound made by some insects.

The Nilgiri blue-flycatcher (Stoparola albicaudata) is stoutly-built and a little larger than a sparrow. The male is clothed from head to tail in dark blue; his wife is more dingy, having a plentiful admixture of brownish grey in her plumage. Blue-flycatchers often occur in little flocks. They have the usual habits of their family, except that they seem sometimes to eat fruit.

A pretty little bird, of which the head, back, tail, and wings are deep blue, and the breast is orange fading into pale yellow towards the abdomen, is Tickell's blue-flycatcher (Cyornis tickelli). It has the characteristic habits of its tribe, and continually makes, from a perch, little sallies into the air after flying insects. But, more often than not it starts from one branch, and, having secured its quarry, alights on another. It sings a joyous lay, not unlike that of the fantail-flycatcher, but less sweet and powerful. It nests in a hole in a tree or bank, laying in May two or three eggs very thickly speckled with red spots.

The grey-headed flycatcher (Culicicapa ceylonensis) is a bird of somewhat sombre plumage. Its total length is only five inches, and of this half is composed of tail. The head is ashy grey, the back and wings are greenish; the lower plumage is bright yellow, but this is not conspicuous except when the bird is on the wing. This flycatcher has a loud song, which may be syllabised: Think of me.... Never to be.

The white-browed fantail-flycatcher (Rhipidura albifrontata), which delights the inhabitants of Madras with its cheerful whistle of five or six notes, occurs on the Nilgiris, but is there largely replaced by an allied species—the white-spotted fantail-flycatcher (R. pectoralis). The latter has all the habits of the former. Both make the same melody, and each has the habit of spreading out and erecting the tail whenever it settles on a perch after a flight. The white-spotted is distinguishable from the white-browed species by the white eyebrow being much narrower and less conspicuous. It is a black bird with a white abdomen, some white in the wings and tail, a few white spots on the chin, and the white eyebrow mentioned above.

The most beautiful of all the flycatchers is Terpsiphone paradisi—the paradise-flycatcher, or ribbon-bird, as it is often called. This is fairly abundant on the Nilgiris. The cock in the full glory of his adult plumage is a truly magnificent object. His crested head is metallic blue-black. This stands out in sharp contrast to the remainder of the plumage, which is as white as snow. Two of his tail feathers, being 12 inches longer than the others, hang down like satin streamers. Young cocks are chestnut instead of white. Birds in both phases of plumage breed. The hen has the metallic blue-black crested head, but she lacks the elongated tail feathers. Her plumage is chestnut, like that of the young cock. In both the hen and the young cock the breast is white. As "Eha" remarks, the hen looks very like a bulbul.

THE TURDIDAE OR THRUSH FAMILY

This heterogeneous family includes thrushes, chats, robins, accentors, and dippers.

The southern pied bush-chat (Pratincola atrata) is one of the commonest and most familiar birds of the Nilgiris. It frequents gardens and is often found near houses: hence it is known as the hill-robin. The cock is clothed in black except the lower part of the back, the under parts, and a bar on the wing, which are white. Those parts that are black in the cock are brown in the hen, while her back and under parts are russet instead of white, but the white bar on the wing persists. This species lives on insects. It dwells in low shrubs and captures its quarry on the ground. It nests in a hole in a bank or well, lining the same with grass or hair. But summer visitors to the hills are not likely to come across the eggs, because these are usually hatched before May.

The Nilgiri blackbird (Merula simillima) is very like the blackbird of England. The plumage of the cock, however, is not so black, and the legs, instead of being brown, are reddish. Its charming song, with which all who have visited Ootacamund are familiar, is almost indistinguishable from that of its European cousin.

The Nilgiri thrush (Oreocincla nilgirensis) resembles the European thrush in appearance. Its upper plumage is pale brown, spotted with black and buff; its throat and abdomen are white with black drops. This bird has a fine powerful song, but he who wishes to hear it has usually to resort to one of the forests on the plateau of the Nilgiris.

THE PLOCEIDAE OR WEAVER-BIRD FAMILY

This family includes the weaver-birds, famous for their wonderful hanging retort-shaped nests, and the munias, of which the amadavat or lal is familiar to every resident of India as a cage bird.

The weaver-birds do not ascend the hills, but several species of munia are found on the Nilgiris. Spotted munias (Uroloncha punctulata) are abundant in the vicinity of both Coonoor and Ootacamund. They occur in flocks on closely-cropped grassland. They feed on the ground. They are tiny birds, not much larger than white-eyes. The upper plumage is chocolate brown, becoming a rich chestnut about the head and neck, while the breast and abdomen are mottled black and white, hence the popular name. The black spots on the breast and abdomen cause these to look like the surface of a nutmeg grater; for that reason this munia is sometimes spoken of as the nutmeg-bird. The rufous-bellied munia (Uroloncha pectoralis) occurs abundantly a little below Coonoor, but does not appear to ascend so high as Ootacamund. Its upper parts are chocolate brown, save the feathers above the tail, which Oates describes as "glistening fulvous." The wings and tail are black, as are the cheeks, chin, and throat. The lower parts are pinkish brown. The stout bill is slaty blue. Like the spotted munia, this species is considerably smaller than a sparrow.

The Indian red-munia or red waxbill or lal (Sporaeginthus amandava) is another very small bird. Its bill and eyes are bright red. Over its brown plumage are dotted many tiny white spots. There are also some large patches of red or crimson, notably one on the rump. The amount of crimson varies considerably; in the breeding season nearly the whole of the upper plumage of the cock is crimson. Amadavats go about in flocks and utter a cheeping note during flight. Their happy hunting grounds are tangles of long grass. Amadavats occur all over the Nilgiris.

THE FRINGILLIDAE OR FINCH FAMILY

Finches are seed-eating birds characterised by a stout bill, which is used for husking grain.

The common sparrow (Passer domesticus) is the best known member of the finch family. Most of us see too much of him. He is to be observed in every garden on the Nilgiris, looking as though the particular garden in which he happens to be belongs to him. As a rule, sparrows nest about houses, but numbers of them breed in the steep cuttings on the road between Coonoor and Ootacamund.

The only other finch common on the Nilgiris is the rose-finch (Carpodacus erythrinus). This, however, is only a winter visitor: it departs from the Nilgiris in April and does not return until the summer season is over.

THE HIRUNDINIDAE OR SWALLOW FAMILY

This family includes the swallows and the martins.

The swallows commonly found on the Nilgiris in summer are the Nilgiri house-swallow (Hirundo javanica) and the red-rumped or mosque swallow (H. erythropygia). I regret to have to state that Oates has saddled the latter with the name "Sykes's striated swallow"; he was apparently seduced by the sibilant alliteration!

Those two swallows are easily distinguished. The latter is the larger bird; its upper parts are glossy steel-blue, except the rump, which is of chestnut hue. The house-swallow has the rump glossy black, but it displays a good deal of red about the head and neck.

In the cold weather the European swallow and two species of martin visit the Nilgiris.

THE MOTACILLIDAE OR WAGTAIL FAMILY

In the winter several kinds of wagtail visit the Nilgiris, but only one species remains all the year round. This is the beautiful pied wagtail (Motacilla maderaspatensis), of which the charming song must be familiar to all residents of Madras. On the Nilgiris the bird is not sufficiently common to require more than passing notice.

The pipits are members of the wagtail family. They have not the lively colouring of the wagtails, being clothed, like skylarks, in homely brown, spotted or streaked with dark brown or black. They have the wagtail trick of wagging the tail, but they perform the action in a half-hearted manner.

The two pipits most often seen on the Nilgiris in summer are the Nilgiri pipit (Anthus nilgirensis) and the Indian pipit (A. rufulus). I know of no certain method of distinguishing these two species without catching them and examining the hind toe. This is much shorter in the former than in the latter species. The Nilgiri pipit goes about singly or in pairs, and, although it frequents grassy land, it usually keeps to cover and flies into a tree or bush when alarmed. It is confined to the highest parts of the Nilgiris. The Indian pipit affects open country and seems never to perch in trees.

THE ALAUDIDAE OR LARK FAMILY

The Indian skylark (Alauda gulgula) is common on the Nilgiris. Wherever there is a grassy plain this species is found. Like the English skylark, it rises to a great height in the air, and there pours forth its fine song.

To the ordinary observer the Indian skylark is indistinguishable from its European congener.

The other common lark of the Nilgiris is the Malabar crested lark (Galerita cristata). This is in shape and colouring very like the Indian skylark, but is easily distinguished by the pointed crest that projects upwards and backwards from the hind part of the head. The crested lark has a pretty song, which is often poured forth when the bird is in the air. This species does not soar so high as the skylark. Like the latter, it frequents open spaces.

THE NECTARINIDAE OR SUNBIRD FAMILY

A bird of the plains which is to be seen in every Nilgiri garden is the beautiful little purple sunbird (Arachnecthra asiatica). He flits about in the sunbeams, passing from flower to flower, extracting with his long tubular tongue the nectar hidden away in their calyces. He is especially addicted to gladioli. His head gets well dusted with yellow pollen, which he carries like a bee from one bloom to another. In the case of flowers with very deep calyces, he sometimes makes short cut to the honey by piercing with his sharp curved bill a hole in the side through which to insert the tongue. The cock purple sunbird needs no description. His glistening metallic plumage compels attention. He is usually accompanied by his spouse, who is earthy brown above and pale yellow below.

The other sunbird commonly seen in hill-gardens is one appropriately named the tiny sun bird or honeysucker (Arachnecthra minima), being less than two-thirds the size of a sparrow. As is usual with sunbirds, the cock is attired more gaily than the hen. He is a veritable feathered exquisite. Dame Nature has lavished on his diminutive body most of the hues to be found in her well-stocked paint-box. His forehead and crown are metallic green. His back is red, crimson on the shoulders. His lower plumage might be a model for the colouring of a Neapolitan ice-cream; from the chin downwards it displays the following order of colours: lilac, crimson, black, yellow. The hen is brown above, with a dull red rump, and yellow below.

The purple-rumped sunbird (Arachnecthra zeylonica), which is very abundant in and about Madras, does not ascend the Nilgiris above 3000 feet. Loten's sunbird (A. lotenia) ventures some 2500 feet higher, and has been seen in the vicinity of Coonoor. This species is in colouring almost indistinguishable from the purple sunbird, but its long beak renders it unmistakable.

THE DICAEIDAE OR FLOWER-PECKER FAMILY

Flower-peckers, like sunbirds, are feathered exquisites. The habits of the two families are very similar, save that flower-peckers dwell among the foliage of trees, while sunbirds, after the manner of butterflies, sip the nectar from flowers that grow near the ground.

Every hill-garden can boast of one or two flower-peckers. These are among the smallest birds in existence. They are as restless as they are diminutive. So restless are they that it is very difficult to follow their movements through field-glasses, and they are so tiny that without the aid of field-glasses it is difficult to see them among the foliage in which they live, move, and have their being. These elusive mites continually utter a sharp chick-chick-chick. Two species are common on the Nilgiris.

They are known as the Nilgiri flower-pecker (Dicaeum concolor) and Tickell's flower-pecker (D. erythrorhynchus). The latter is the more numerous. Both are olive-green birds, paler below than above. Tickell's species has the bill yellow: in the other the beak is lavender blue.

THE PICIDAE OR WOODPECKER FAMILY

Woodpeckers are birds that feed exclusively on insects, which they pick off the trunks of trees. They move about over the bark with great address. Whether progressing upwards, downwards, or sideways, the head is always pointed upwards.

For some reason or other there is a paucity of woodpeckers on the Nilgiris. The Indian Empire can boast of no fewer than fifty-four species; of these only six patronise the Nilgiris, and but two appear to ascend higher than 5000 feet. The only woodpecker that I have noticed in the vicinity of Coonoor is Tickell's golden-backed woodpecker (Chrysocolaptes gutticristatus). I apologise for the name; fortunately the bird never has to sign it in full. This woodpecker is a magnificent bird, over a foot in length, being 1-1/2 inch longer than the golden-backed species found in Madras itself. The cock has a crimson crest, the sides of the head and neck and the under parts are white, relieved by black streaks that run longitudinally. The back and wings appear golden olive in the shade, and when the sun shines on them they become a beautiful coppery red. The lower part of the back is crimson. The tail is black. The hen differs from the cock in having the crest black. When these birds fly, their wings make much noise. The species utters a high-pitched but somewhat faint screaming note.

THE CAPITONIDAE OR BARBET FAMILY

Barbets are tree-haunting birds characterised by massive bills. They have loud calls of two or three notes, which they repeat with much persistence. They nestle in trees, themselves excavating the nest cavity. The entrance to the nest is invariably marked by a neat round hole, a little larger than a rupee, in the trunk or a branch of a tree. The coppersmith is the most familiar member of the clan. It does not occur on the Nilgiris, but a near relative is to be numbered among the commonest birds of those hills, being found in every wood and in almost every garden. This bird is fully as vociferous as the coppersmith, but instead of crying, tonk-tonk-tonk, it suddenly bursts into a kind of hoarse laugh, and then settles down to a steady kutur-kutur-kutur, which resounds throughout the hillside. This call is perhaps the most familiar sound heard in the hills. This species is called the lesser green barbet (Thereiceryx viridis) to distinguish it from the larger green barbet of the plains (T. zeylonicus). It is a vivid green bird with a dull yellow patch, devoid of feathers, round the eye. There are some brown streaks on the breast.

THE ALCEDINIDAE OR KINGFISHER FAMILY

The only kingfisher that occurs abundantly throughout the Nilgiris is the common kingfisher (Alcedo ispida). This bird is not much larger than a sparrow. The head and nape are blue with faint black cross-bars. The back is glistening pale blue and the tail blue of darker hue. The wings are greenish blue. The sides of the head are gaily tinted with red, blue, black, and white. The lower parts are rusty red. The bill is black and the feet coral red. The beautiful white-breasted kingfisher (Halcyon smyrnensis)—the large blue species with the chocolate-coloured head and white breast—occurs on the Nilgiris at all elevations, but is not nearly so abundant as its smaller relative.

THE CYPSELIDAE OR SWIFT FAMILY

Four species of swift are to be seen on the Nilgiris; two of them are the fleetest birds in existence; these are the alpine swift (Cypselus melba) and the brown-necked spine-tail (Chaetura indica). The former progresses with ease at the rate of 100 miles an hour: the latter can cover 125 miles, while the former is flying 100. If we poor human beings were possessed of the motive power of swifts we should think nothing of flying to England on ten days' casual leave. This may be possible a few years hence, thanks to the aeroplane; but even then the swifts will have the advantage as regards cheapness of transit. The lower parts of the alpine swift are white, while those of the spine-tail are rich brown. Hence the two species may be differentiated at a glance.

The edible-nest swiftlet (Collocalia fuciphaga) is the commonest swift on the Nilgiris. It is only about half the size of the species mentioned above, being less than 5 inches in length. In my opinion, this bird is misnamed the edible-nest swiftlet, because a considerable quantity of grass and feathers is worked into the nest, and I, for my part, find neither grass nor feathers edible. But chacun a son gout.

There is, however, an allied species—the little grey-rumped swiftlet (C. francicia)—found in the Andaman Islands—of which the nests are really good to eat. This species constructs its tiny saucer-shaped nursery entirely of its own saliva.

April and May are the months in which to seek for the nests of the Nilgiri swiftlet, and the insides of caves the places where a search should be made.

The fourth swift of the Nilgiris, the crested swift (Macropteryx coronata), is not sufficiently abundant to merit description in this essay.

THE CAPRIMULGIDAE OR NIGHTJAR FAMILY

Nightjars, or goatsuckers, to give them their ancient and time-honoured name, are birds that lie up during the day in shady woods and issue forth at dusk on silent wing in order to hawk insects. The most characteristic feature of a nightjar is its enormous frog-like mouth; but it is not easy to make this out in the twilight or darkness, so that the observer has to rely on other features in order to recognise goatsuckers when he sees them on the wing, such as their long tail and wings, their curious silent fluttering flight, their dark plumage with white or buff in the wings and tail, their crepuscular and nocturnal habits, and their large size. Nightjars are as large as pigeons.

The common species of the Nilgiris is the jungle nightjar (Caprimulgus indicus). For a couple of hours after nightfall, and the same period before dawn in the spring, this bird utters its curious call—a rapidly-repeated cuck-chug-chuck-chuck.

Horsfield's nightjar (C. macrurus) is perhaps not sufficiently abundant on the Nilgiris to deserve mention in this essay. A bird which after dark makes a noise like that produced by striking a plank with a hammer can be none other than this species.

THE CUCULIDAE OR CUCKOO FAMILY

The koel (Eudynamis honorata) occurs on the Nilgiris and has been shot at Ootacamund. It betrays its presence by its loud ku-il, ku-il, ku-il. The common cuckoo of the hills is the hawk-cuckoo (Hierococcyx varius) or brain-fever bird. Its crescendo brain-fever, BRAIN-FEVER, BRAIN-FEVER prevents any person from failing to notice it. It victimises laughing-thrushes and babblers. It has a large cousin (H. sparverioides), which also occurs on the Nilgiris, and which likewise screams brain-fever at the top of its voice. Both species are like sparrow-hawks in appearance. The handsome pied crested cuckoo (Coccystes jacobinus), which cuckolds the seven sisters, is a bird easy to identify. It has a conspicuous crest. The upper plumage is glossy black, save for a white wing bar and white tips to the tail feathers. The lower parts are white.

The common coucal or crow-pheasant (Centropus sinensis) is a cuckoo that builds a nest and incubates its eggs. It is as big as a pheasant, and is known as the Griff's pheasant because new arrivals in India sometimes shoot it as a game bird. If naturalists could show that this cuckoo derived any benefit from its resemblance to a pheasant, I doubt not that they would hold it up as an example of protective mimicry. It is a black bird with rich chestnut wings. The black tail is nearly a foot long. The coucal is fairly abundant on the Nilgiris.

THE PSITTACIDAE OR PARROT FAMILY

The green parrots of the plains do not venture far up the slopes of the hills. The only species likely to be seen on the Nilgiris at elevations of 4000 feet and upwards is the blue-winged paroquet (Palaeornis columboides). This is distinguishable from the green parrots of the plains by having the head, neck, breast, and upper back dove-coloured. It has none of the aggressive habits of its brethren of the plains. It keeps mainly to dense forests. Jerdon describes its cry as "mellow, subdued, and agreeable." It is the prima donna of the Psittaci.

Another member of the parrot family found on the Nilgiris is the Indian loriquet, or love-bird or pigmy parrot (Loriculus vernalis). This is a short-tailed bird about the size of a sparrow. It is grass green in colour, save for the red beak, a large crimson patch on the rump, and a small blue patch on the throat. This species does not obtrude itself on the observer. It is seen in cages more often than in a state of nature. It sleeps with the head hanging down after the manner of bats, hence Finn calls this pretty little bird the bat-parrot.

THE STRIGIDAE OR OWL FAMILY

Owls, like woodpeckers, do not patronise the Nilgiris very largely. The only owl that commonly makes itself heard on those mountains is the brown wood-owl (Syrnium indrani). This is the bird which perches on the roof of the house at night and calls to-whoo.

Occasionally, especially round about Ootacamund, the grunting ur-ur-ur-ur of the brown fish-owl (Ketupa zeylonensis) disturbs the silence of the night on the Nilgiris.

THE VULTURIDAE OR VULTURE FAMILY

Only four species of vulture occur on the hills of South India. One of these is the smaller white scavenger vulture (Neophron ginginianus), which is probably the ugliest bird in the world. Its plumage is dirty white, except the tips of the wings, which are black. The head is not bald, as is the case with most vultures; it is covered with projecting feathers that form an exceedingly bedraggled crest. The bill, the naked face, and the legs are yellow. This vulture is popularly known as the shawk or Pharaoh's chicken. Young scavenger vultures are sooty brown.

The other three vultures common on the Nilgiris are the Pondicherry vulture (Otogyps calvus), the long-billed vulture (Gyps indicus), and the white-backed vulture (Pseudogyps bengalensis). The first is easily identified by means of its white waistcoat, a patch of white on the thighs, and large red wattles that hang down like the ears of a blood-hound. With the above exceptions the plumage is black.

The long-billed vulture is of a uniform brown-grey colour.

The white-backed vulture is a dark brown, almost black, bird, with a white back and a broad white band on the under surface of each wing, which is very noticeable when the bird is soaring high in the air on the watch for carrion.

The two commonest vultures of the Nilgiris are the scavenger and the white-backed species.

THE FALCONIDAE OR FAMILY OF BIRDS OF PREY

The raptores are not very strongly represented on the Nilgiris. The only two eagles likely to be seen are Bonelli's eagle (Hieraetus fasciatus) and the black eagle (Ictinaetus malayensis). The plumage of the latter is of much darker hue than that of the former.

Bonelli's eagle is a bold bird that works great havoc among tame pigeons. It sometimes carries off a barnyard fowl.

The black eagle is content with smaller quarry: young birds, rats, and snakes, seem to constitute the chief articles of its diet.

Needless to state, the common pariah kite (Milvus govinda) is found on the Nilgiris. This useful bird usually sails in graceful circles high overhead, looking for food. Its cry is not heard so frequently on those hills as in the Himalayas, the reason being the different configuration of the two ranges. The Nilgiris are undulating and downlike, hence the kites are able, while hovering higher than the summits of the hills, to see what is happening in the valleys. In the Himalayas they cannot do this, because the valleys are usually deep. The kites, therefore, sail there at a lower level than the hill-tops, and their plaintive chee-hee-hee-hee-hee is heard throughout the day. It is not a very cheerful sound, so that in this respect the Nilgiris have an advantage over the Himalayas.

The majority of the kites appear to migrate from the Nilgiris during the south-west monsoon.

The Brahmany kite (Haliastur indus)—the handsome kite with white head and breast and rich chestnut-red wings—is sometimes seen on the Nilgiris, but scarcely sufficiently often to merit a place among the common birds.

The three remaining raptores that are of frequent occurrence on the hills of South India are the shikra (Astur badius), the crested goshawk (Lophospizias trivirgatus), and the kestrel (Tinnunculus alaudarius). The shikra is very like the brain-fever bird in appearance. It is a little smaller than the common house-crow. The upper plumage is ashy grey. The tail is of the same hue, but with broad dark brown cross-bars. In young birds the breast is white with dark drops; in older birds the drops become replaced by wavy rust-coloured cross-bars. The eye is bright yellow, as is the cere or base of the beak. The crested goshawk may be described in brief as a large shikra with a crest.

The kestrel is the bird known in England as the windhover, on account of its habit of hovering in mid-air on rapidly-vibrating wings before pouncing on the lizard or other small fry, for which it is ever on the watch. This species is about the same size as the shikra. The head, neck, and tail are grey; the back and wings are dull red. The lower parts are cream-coloured, spotted with brown.

THE COLUMBIDAE OR DOVE FAMILY

Jerdon's imperial pigeon (Ducula cuprea) is a beautiful bird 17 inches long, of which the tail accounts for 7 inches. The prevailing hue of this pigeon is grey. The head, breast, abdomen, and neck are suffused with lilac. The back and wings are olive brown. The legs are dull lake red, as is the bill, except the tip, which is blue. This fine bird is confined to dense forest; it is said to be fond of the wild nutmeg.

The Nilgiri wood-pigeon (Alsocomus elphistonii) is another forest-haunting bird. Its prevailing hue is dove grey, with a beautiful gloss on the back, which appears lilac in some lights and green in others. The only other ornament in its plumage is a black-and-white shepherd's plaid tippet. The wood-pigeon is as large as the imperial pigeon. Of the doves, that which is most often seen on the Nilgiris is the spotted dove (Turtur suratensis). This is easily distinguished from the other members of the family by its reddish wings spotted with dark brown and pale buff. The only other dove likely to be seen at the Nilgiri hill stations is the little brown dove (T. cambayensis), which utters a five-or-six-syllabled coo.

THE PHASIANIDAE OR PHEASANT FAMILY

This important family includes the pea- and the jungle-fowl and the various pheasants.

The peacock is not found at altitudes above 4000 feet.

Jungle-fowl are abundant on the Nilgiris. He who keeps his eyes open may occasionally see one of these birds running across a road in the hills. This must not lead the observer to think that jungle-fowl spend most of their time in sprinting across roads. The fact of the matter is that the fowl tribe do not appreciate their food unless they have to scratch for it. Paths and roads are highly scratchable objects, hence they are largely resorted to for food; further, they are used for the purpose of the daily dust-bath in which every self-respecting fowl indulges. If these birds are disturbed when feeding or bathing, they do not make for the nearest cover as most other birds do: they insist on running across the road, thereby giving the grateful sportsman a clear shot. The domestic rooster has the same habit. So has the Indian child. To test the truth of these assertions, it is only necessary to drive briskly along a street at the side of which children or fowls are playing in perfect safety. At the sight of the horse, the child or hen, as the case may be, makes a dash for the far side of the road, and passes almost under the horse's nose. The fowl always gets across safely. The child is not so fortunate.

Two species of jungle-fowl have partitioned the Indian peninsula between them. The red species (Gallus ferrugineus) has appropriated the part of India which lies between Kashmir and the Godavery; while the grey jungle-fowl (G. sonnerati) has possessed itself of the territory south of the Godavery. The third jungle-fowl (G. lafayetti) has to be content with Ceylon, but the size of its name very nearly makes up for its deficiency in acres!

Davison is my authority for stating that the Strobilanthes whitiani, which constitutes the main undergrowth of many of the forests of the Nilgiris, seeds only once in about seven years, and that when this plant is seeding the grey jungle-fowl assemble in vast numbers to feed on the seed. They collect in the same way for the sake of bamboo seeds. The crow of the cock, which is heard chiefly in the morning and the evening, is not like that of the red jungle-fowl. It has been syllabised kuk-kah-kah-kaha-kuk. The call of the hen may be expressed by the syllables kukkun-kukkun.

The red spur-fowl (Galloperdix spadicea) is perhaps the most abundant game bird of the Nilgiris. It is quite partridge-like in shape. Both sexes have red legs and a patch of red skin round the eye. The feathers of the cock are dull red with blue edges, while those of the hen are black with broad buff margins. The cock may be described as a dull red bird with a grey head and some buff scale-like markings, and the hen as a grey bird, heavily barred with black.

The only quail commonly seen on the Nilgiris is the painted bush-quail (Microperdix erythrorhynchus). A bird in shape like a partridge, but not much larger than a sparrow, is probably this species. The prevailing hue is umber brown with coarse black blotches. The cock has the breast white and the head black with a white eyebrow. The head of the hen is dull red. The bill, legs, and feet of both sexes are red.

THE CHARADRIIDAE OR PLOVER FAMILY

This very large family includes the plovers, sandpipers, and snipes. It is not very well represented on the Nilgiris. In winter snipe and woodcock visit those mountains and afford good sport to the human residents, but all have gone northward long before the summer visitors arrive.

Several species of sandpiper likewise visit the Nilgiris in winter; one of these—the wood sandpiper (Totanus glareola)—tarries on until after the beginning of summer. This is a bird as large as a dove; its plumage is speckled brown and white. It looks somewhat like a snipe with a short bill. It lives on the margins of ponds and constantly wags its apology for a tail.

THE RALLIDAE OR RAIL FAMILY

The rails are not well represented on the Nilgiris.

The water-hen (Gallinula chloropus) is common on the lake at Ootacamund. This is an olive-green bird about the size of a pigeon. Its bill and forehead are red; there is a patch of white under the tail. This species swims like a duck.

Another rail which may be seen sometimes in the Botanical Gardens at Ootacamund is the white-breasted water-hen (Amaurornis phoenicurus). This is a black bird with the face, throat, and breast white. There is a chestnut-hued patch under the tail.

THE ARDEIDAE OR HERON FAMILY

Almost the only member of the heron family that visits the Nilgiri hill stations is the pond-heron or paddy-bird (Ardeola grayii).

A colony of these birds pursues its avocations on the margin of the lake at Ootacamund, but I believe that I am right in saying that the paddy-birds of Ootacamund go to the plains for nesting purposes.



PART III The Common Birds of the Palni Hills



THE COMMON BIRDS OF THE PALNI HILLS

For the benefit of those who visit Kodikanal I have compiled a list of the birds most commonly seen at altitudes of over 5000 feet in the Palni hills. I must here state that I have no first-hand knowledge of the avifauna of those hills, and the list that follows is based on the observations of Dr. Fairbank, made nearly 40 years ago.

The avifauna of the Palni is a comparatively restricted one: which is in part doubtless explained by the comparatively small area of the higher ranges that is covered by forest.

The great majority of the birds that follow have been described in the chapter on the birds of the Nilgiris, and I have contented myself with merely naming such.

THE CORVIDAE OR CROW FAMILY

1. Corvus macrorhynchus. The Indian corby. This is not very abundant above 5500 feet.

2. Dendrocitta rufa. The tree-pie. This does not appear to occur above 5000 feet.

3. Machlolophus haplonotus. The southern yellow tit. Occurs at Kodikanal, but is not very common there.

THE CRATEROPODIDAE OR BABBLER FAMILY

4. Crateropus canorus. The jungle babbler. This rarely ascends higher than 5000 feet.

5. Trochalopterum fairbanki. The Palni laughing-thrush. This species is peculiar to the Palnis and the Anamallis. The head is very dark brown, almost black, with a broad white eyebrow. The cheeks are grey, as are the chin, throat, and breast. The back, wings, and tail are olive brown tinged with rusty red. The abdomen is bright rufous. The noisy cries of this bird are among the most familiar sounds of Kodikanal. It is destructive to peaches and raspberries.

6. Pomatorhinus horsfieldi. The southern scimitar-babbler. This is not nearly so abundant on the Palnis as on the Nilgiris.

7. Zosterops palpebrosa. The Indian white-eye. A common bird.

8. Iole icteria. The yellow-browed bulbul. Otocompsa fuscicaudata. The southern red-whiskered bulbul or hill-bulbul. As in the Nilgiris so in the Palnis, this is the most abundant bird on the higher hills.

9. Molpastes haemorrhous. The Madras red-vented bulbul. The higher one ascends, the rarer this bird becomes.

10. Hypsipetes ganeesa. The southern black bulbul.

11. Myiophoneus horsfieldi. The Malabar whistling-thrush or idle schoolboy. This fine but shy bird is found on the streams up to 6000 feet. It is a bird as large as a crow, with glossy black plumage, in which are patches of bright cobalt blue.

It is better known to the ear than to the eye. It emits a number of cheerful whistling notes.

THE SITTIDAE OR NUTHATCH FAMILY

12. Sitta frontalis. The velvet-fronted blue nuthatch. This bird is found in every part of the Palnis where there are trees.

THE DICRURIDAE OR DRONGO FAMILY

13. Chaptia aenea. The bronzed drongo. This species is not often seen at altitudes of more than 5000 feet above sea-level.

It is like the common king-crow in appearance, but the plumage is glossed with a bronze sheen, and the tail is less markedly forked.

THE SYLVIIDAE OR WARBLER FAMILY

14. Orthotomus sartorius. The tailor bird. This has been seen as high as 5500 feet above the sea-level.

15. Prinia socialis. The ashy wren-warbler.

16. Prinia inorata. The Indian wren-warbler. This is very like the ashy wren-warbler in appearance. Its upper plumage is earthy-brown, and not reddish brown, and it does not make during flight the curious snapping noise so characteristic of P. socialis.

THE LANIIDAE OR SHRIKE FAMILY

17. Lanius erythronotus. The rufous-backed shrike.

18. Pericrocotus flammeus. The orange minivet. This beautiful bird occurs from the bottom to the top of the Palnis.

19. Pericrocotus peregrinus. The little minivet. This is a bird of the plains rather than of the hills. But as Fairbank observed it in the Palnis as high as 5000 feet, it is given a place in this list. Cock: Head and shoulders slaty grey, lower back deep scarlet, wings black with red bar, tail black with red at tip, chin and throat blackish, breast scarlet; lower plumage orange yellow. Hen: upper parts grey, lower parts creamy white, wing brown with yellow or orange bar, tail black with red tip.

This species is smaller than a sparrow, but the tail is 3 inches long.

THE ORIOLIDAE OR ORIOLE FAMILY

20. Oriolus melanocephalus. The black-headed oriole. This species has been seen as high as 5000 feet above the sea-level. The cock is bright yellow, with a black head and some black in the wings and tail. The hen is of a much duller yellow and has the back tinged with green.

THE STURNIDAE OR STARLING FAMILY

Fairbank does not mention the jungle myna (AEthiopsar fuscus) in his list of the birds of the Palnis (Stray Feathers, vol. v, 1877). Yet this is precisely the myna one would expect to find on the Palnis, and it should be looked for.

21. On the other hand, the Brahmany myna (Temenuchus pagodarum), which is essentially a bird of the plains, is said by Fairbank to occur "well up the hillsides."

Of the common myna (Acridotheres tristis), he writes: "This is common around villages at 4000 feet."

22. Temenuchus pagodarum. The Brahmany myna. Head and recumbent crest black. Wings black and grey. Tail brown with a white tip. Remainder of plumage rich buff. Beak blue with yellow tip. Legs bright yellow.

THE EULABETIDAE OR GRACKLE FAMILY

23. Eulabes religiosa. The southern grackle or hill-myna. This bird occurs in the forests of the Palnis between elevations of 4000 and 5000 feet. It is familiar to every one as a cage bird. A glossy black bird with a white wing bar. The wattles, legs, and bill are yellow.

THE MUSCICAPIDAE OR FLYCATCHER FAMILY

24. Ochromela nigrirufa. The black-and-orange flycatcher.

25. Stoparola albicaudata. The Nilgiri blue-flycatcher.

26. Cyornis tickelli. Tickell's blue-flycatcher. Less common than on the Nilgiris.

27. Culicicapa ceylonensis. The grey-headed flycatcher.

28. Rhipidura albifrontata. The white-browed fantail flycatcher. Fairbank did not find this bird at altitudes over 4000 feet.

THE TURDIDAE OR THRUSH FAMILY

29. Pratincola atrata. The southern pied bush-chat or hill-robin. Not nearly so abundant on the Palnis as on the Nilgiris.

30. Merula simillima. The Nilgiri blackbird. In spring its delightful song gladdens the groves of the higher Palnis.

31. Copschychus saularis. The magpie-robin. Has been observed as high as 5000 feet. The cock is black, and the hen grey, with a white breast and white in the wings and tail. The distribution of the black and white is like that in the common magpie.

THE FRINGILLIDAE OR FINCH FAMILY

32. Passer domesticus. The common sparrow. Does not occur much above 5000 feet.

THE HIRUNDINIDAE OR SWALLOW FAMILY

33. Hirunda javanica. The Nilgiri house-swallow.

THE MOTACILLIDAE OR WAGTAIL FAMILY

34. Anthus nilgirensis. The Nilgiri pipit. Common on the grassy fields at the summit of the Palnis.

THE NECTARINIDAE OR SUNBIRD FAMILY

35. Arachnecthra minima. The tiny sunbird or honeysucker. Common from 4000 feet upwards.

THE DICAEIDAE OR FLOWER-PECKER FAMILY

36. Dicaeum concolor. The Nilgiri flower-pecker. This frequents the flowers of the parasitic Loranthus.

37. Dicaeum erythrorhynchus. Tickell's flower-pecker. This species does not appear to ascend the Palnis to any great height. It is abundant at the foot of the hills.

THE PICIDAE OR WOODPECKER FAMILY

38. Chrysocolaptes gutticristatus. Tickell's golden-backed woodpecker. As in the Nilgiris so in the Palnis, this is the common woodpecker.

39. Brachypternus aurantius. The golden-backed woodpecker. This is the common woodpecker of the plains: it ascends the Palnis to elevations of 5000 feet. This is distinguishable from the foregoing species by its smaller size, and in having the rump velvety black instead of crimson.

40. Liopicus mahrattensis. The yellow-fronted pied woodpecker. This plains species ascends the Palnis to elevations of 5000 feet. It is much smaller than either of the two foregoing species. The plumage is spotted black and white, with a patch of red on the abdomen. There is a yellow patch on the forehead. The cock has a short red crest.

THE CAPITONIDAE OR BARBET FAMILY

41. Thereiceryx viridis. The small green barbet. (The coppersmith does not ascend higher than 4000 feet.)

THE ALCEDINIDAE OR KINGFISHER FAMILY

42. The only kingfisher found in the Palnis seems to be the white-breasted kingfisher (Halcyon smyrnensis), but this species is confined to the lower hills.

THE UPUPIDAE OR HOOPOE FAMILY

43. The Indian hoopoe (Upupa indica) occurs on the lower ranges, but does not appear to ascend the hills as far as Kodikanal.

THE CYPSELIDAE OR SWIFT FAMILY

44. Swifts are not abundant in the Palnis. The only one observed by Fairbank was the common Indian swift (Cypselus affinis), seen at an elevation of 3000 feet. This is easily distinguished by the white band across the rump.

THE CUCULIDAE OR CUCKOO FAMILY

45. Hierococcyx varius. The hawk-cuckoo.

46. Eudynamis honorata. The Indian koel. This species is not common on the Palnis.

47. Centropus sinensis. The common coucal or crow-pheasant. This is not very common.

THE PSITTACIDAE OR PARROT FAMILY

48. Palaeornis columboides. The blue-winged paroquet.

49. Loriculus vernalis. The Indian loriquet or love-bird.

THE STRIGIDAE OR OWL FAMILY

50. Ketupa zeylonensis. The brown fish-owl. A large bird with aigrettes. The eyes are bright yellow. The legs are devoid of feathers. The call is a series of grunts.

THE VULTURIDAE OR VULTURE FAMILY

51. Neophron ginginianus. The smaller white scavenger vulture. This occurs up to at least 5000 feet. Fairbank did not observe any other vultures on the higher hills, but it is unlikely that Pseudogyps bengalensis (the white-backed vulture), Gyps indicus (the long-billed vulture), and Otogyps calvus (the black or Pondicherry vulture) do not visit the higher hills. These three birds should be looked for, especially the first.

THE FALCONIDAE OR FAMILY OF BIRDS OF PREY

52. Ictinaetus malayensis. The black eagle. Not very common.

53. Milvus govinda. The common pariah kite. Fairbank did not see this above 3000 feet.

54. Haliastur indus. The Brahmany kite. Occurs up to at least 4000 feet.

55. Tinnunculus alaudarius. The kestrel.

THE COLUMBIDAE OR DOVE FAMILY

56. Alsocomus elphistonii. The Nilgiri wood-pigeon.

The spotted and the little brown doves (Turtur suratensis and T. cambayensis) are found only on the lower hills.

THE PHASIANIDAE OR PHEASANT FAMILY

57. Gallus sonnerati. The grey jungle fowl. Not so common as on the Nilgiris.

58. Galloperdix spadicea. The red spur-fowl. Not common.

59. Microperdix erythrorhynchus. The painted bush-quail.

THE CHARADRIIDAE OR PLOVER FAMILY

A few snipe and woodcock visit the Palnis in winter.

THE PODICIPEDIDAE OR GREBE FAMILY

60. Podicipes albipennis. The little grebe or dabchick. This bird never leaves the water. It is smaller than a dove. It has no tail. It is dark glossy brown in colour with chestnut on the sides of the neck.



APPENDICES I. Vernacular Names of Himalayan Birds II. Vernacular Names of Nilgiri Birds

I. VERNACULAR NAMES OF HIMALAYAN BIRDS

Ababil . . . . . . . swallow

Akku . . . . . . . . common cuckoo

Argul . . . . . . . lammergeyer

Ban-bakra . . . . . black bulbul, rusty-cheeked scimitar-babbler

Ban-sarrah . . . . . black-throated jay

Ban-titar . . . . . hill partridge

Bara bharao . . . . large hawk-cuckoo

Batasi . . . . . . . Indian swift

Bater . . . . . . . quail

Bhimraj . . . . . . racquet-tailed drongo

Boukotako . . . . . Indian cuckoo

Bulaka . . . . . . . brown wood-owl

Bulbul . . . . . . . bulbul

Bunchil . . . . . . cheer pheasant

Chakru . . . . . . . chakor partridge

Chaman . . . . . . . cheer pheasant

Chanjarol . . . . . woodcock

Chil . . . . . . . . kite

Chir . . . . . . . . cheer pheasant

Chitla . . . . . . . spotted dove

Chitroka fakhta . . spotted dove

Chota fakhta . . . . little brown dove

Chukar . . . . . . . chakor partridge

Digg-dall . . . . . blue magpie

Dhal kowa . . . . . corby

Dhor fakhta . . . . ring-dove

Dogra chil . . . . . crested serpent eagle

Durkal . . . . . . . black bulbul

Gagi . . . . . . . . slaty-headed paroquet

Gidh . . . . . . . . vulture

Gir-chaondia . . . . white-capped redstart

Gonriya . . . . . . house-sparrow

Gugi . . . . . . . . ring-dove

Herril . . . . . . . cheer pheasant

Hud-hud . . . . . . hoopoe

Il . . . . . . . . . kite

Jel butara . . . . . Himalayan pied kingfisher

Jumiz . . . . . . . imperial eagle

Kabk . . . . . . . . chakor partridge

Kaindal . . . . . . hill partridge

Kalesur . . . . . . kalij pheasant

Kalij . . . . . . . kalij pheasant

Kali-pholia . . . . white-capped redstart

Kaljit . . . . . . . Himalayan whistling-thrush

Kangskiri . . . . . spotted dove

Kastura . . . . . . Himalayan whistling-thrush, grey-winged ouzel

Kasturi . . . . . . grey-winged ouzel

Koak . . . . . . . . koklas pheasant

Koin . . . . . . . . Indian turtle-dove

Kokia-kak . . . . . Himalayan tree-pie

Kokla . . . . . . . kokla green-pigeon, koklas pheasant

Koklas . . . . . . . koklas pheasant

Kolsa . . . . . . . kalij pheasant

Krishen-patti . . . blue-headed rock-thrush

Kuil . . . . . . . . koel

Kukera . . . . . . . kalij pheasant

Kukku . . . . . . . cuckoo

Kukrola . . . . . . koklas pheasant

Kupak . . . . . . . common hawk-cuckoo

Kupwah . . . . . . . cuckoo

Kyphulpakka . . . . Indian cuckoo

Kyphulpakki . . . . Indian cuckoo

Machi bagh . . . . . Himalayan pied kingfisher

Madana suga . . . . slaty-headed paroquet

Maina . . . . . . . myna

Miouli . . . . . . . great Himalayan barbet

Mohrhaita . . . . . changeable hawk-eagle

Moraugi . . . . . . Bonelli's eagle

Neoul . . . . . . . great Himalayan barbet

Nilkant . . . . . . blue magpie

Niltau . . . . . . . rufous-bellied niltava

Okhab . . . . . . . lammergeyer

Pahari maina . . . . jungle myna

Pahari tuiya . . . . slaty-headed paroquet

Painju . . . . . . . white-cheeked bulbul

Panduk . . . . . . . dove

Patariya masaicha . grey-winged ouzel

Perki . . . . . . . dove

Peunra . . . . . . . hill partridge

Phupu . . . . . . . cuckoo

Pilak . . . . . . . oriole

Plas . . . . . . . . koklas pheasant

Pokras . . . . . . . koklas pheasant

Popiya . . . . . . . common hawk-cuckoo

Puli . . . . . . . . spotted wing

Ram chakru . . . . . hill partridge

Roli . . . . . . . . hill partridge

Sadal . . . . . . . changeable hawk-eagle

Safed gidh . . . . . scavenger vulture

Sahili . . . . . . . scarlet minivet

Sahim . . . . . . . ashy drongo

Sakdudu . . . . . . hoopoe

Satangal . . . . . . imperial eagle

Shah bulbul . . . . paradise flycatcher

Sibia . . . . . . . sibia

Sim kukra . . . . . woodcock

Sim tital . . . . . woodcock

Takpo . . . . . . . Indian cuckoo

Toitru fakhta . . . little brown dove

Traiho . . . . . . . great Himalayan barbet

Tuktola . . . . . . Western-Himalayan scaly-bellied green woodpecker

Turkan . . . . . . . Western-Himalayan pied woodpecker

Tusal . . . . . . . bar-tailed cuckoo-dove

Tutitar . . . . . . woodcock

Ulak . . . . . . . . corby

Zakki . . . . . . . brown flycatcher

Zird phutki . . . . grey-headed flycatcher

II. VERNACULAR NAMES OF NILGIRI BIRDS

Adavikodi . . . . . grey jungle-fowl

Adavi nalla gedda . black eagle

Adiki lam kuravi . . sparrow

Boli kadi . . . . . white-breasted water-hen

Boli kodi . . . . . moorhen

Buchi gadu . . . . . white-breasted kingfisher

Buruta pitta . . . . Indian skylark

Chandul . . . . . . crested lark

Chilluka . . . . . . paroquet

Chinna ulanka . . . wood sandpiper

Chinna wallur . . . shikra

Chitlu jitta . . . . Nilgiri flower-pecker

Chitti bella guwa . little brown dove

Dasari pitta . . . . scimitar-babbler, fantail flycatcher

Garud alawa . . . . Brahmany kite

Garuda mantaru . . . Brahmany kite

Gola kokila . . . . pied crested cuckoo

Goranka . . . . . . common myna

Gudi konga . . . . . paddy bird

Guli gadu . . . . . white-backed vulture

Gurapa madi jitta . Indian pipit

Jali dega . . . . . shikra

Jambri kodi . . . . moorhen

Jitta kodi . . . . . red spear-fowl

Jutu pitta . . . . . crested lark

Kadai . . . . . . . painted bush quail

Kakka . . . . . . . black crow

Kakki . . . . . . . black crow

Kakkara jinuwayi . . spotted munia

Kalli kaka . . . . . crow-pheasant

Kalu prandu . . . . kite

Kaltu koli . . . . . grey jungle-fowl

Killi . . . . . . . paroquet

Kokku . . . . . . . paddy bird

Konda lati . . . . . red-vented bulbul

Kumpa nalanchi . . . pied bush-chat

Kundeli salawa . . . Bonelli's eagle

Kutti pitta . . . . hawk-cuckoo

Lak muka . . . . . . white-breasted kingfisher

Likku jitta . . . . tailor-bird

Machayarya . . . . . fantail flycatcher

Malla gedda . . . . kite

Manam badi . . . . . Indian skylark

Manati . . . . . . . fantail flycatcher

Manju tiridi . . . . scavenger vulture

Meta kali . . . . . Indian pipit

Namala pitta . . . . scimitar-babbler

Nella borawa . . . . Pondicherry vulture

Niala pichiki . . . Indian skylark

Nila buchi gadu . . common kingfisher

Papa . . . . . . . . scavenger vulture

Papa parundu . . . . scavenger vulture

Paria prandu . . . . kite

Pedda sida . . . . . jungle babbler

Pigli pitta . . . . red-vented bulbul

Pit pitta . . . . . ashy wren-warbler

Pittri gedda . . . . scavenger vulture

Poda bella guwa . . spotted dove

Puli pora . . . . . spotted dove

Rajali . . . . . . . Bonelli's eagle

Sarrava koli . . . . red spur-fowl

Sowata guwa . . . . little brown dove

Tangada goranka . . pied crested cuckoo

Tella borawa . . . . scavenger vulture

Than kudi . . . . . sunbird

Tinna kuruvi . . . . spotted munia

Tondala doshi gadu . kestrel

Tondala muchi gedda kestrel

Tonka pigli pitta . paradise flycatcher

Torra jinuwayi . . . red munia

Touta pora . . . . . little brown dove

Turaka pigli pitta . hill or red-whiskered bulbul

Uri pichiki . . . . sparrow

Vichuli . . . . . . white-breasted kingfisher

Wal konda lati . . . paradise flycatcher

Yerra belinchi . . . rufous-backed shrike

Yerra kodi . . . . . red spur-fowl



INDEX

Abrornis superciliaris, 113

Accipiter cooperi, 171

Aceros nepalensis, 122

Acridotheres tristis, 60, 199, 240

Actinodura egertoni, 110

AEgithaliscus erythrocephalus, 41, 106

AEthiopsar fuscus, 61, 199, 239

AEthopyga nepalensis, 119

— scheriae, 76

Alauda gulgula, 210

ALAUDIDAE, 210

ALCEDINIDAE, 79, 121, 215, 243

Alcedo ispida, 215

Alcippe nepalensis, 109

Alcurus striatus, 112

Alder, 22

Almora, 22, 29, 41 seq., 51, 54, 59, 65, 67, 87, 97

Alseonax latirostris, 63, 115

Alsocomus elphistonii, 226, 246

Amadavat, 205

Amaranthus, 25

Amaurornis phoenicurus, 230

Anamallis, 236

Andaman Islands, 217

Anemone, 18, 25

"Animal colouration," 171

Anthipes moniliger, 116

Anthus nilgirensis, 209

— rufulus, 209

Aquila helica, 125

Arachnecthra asiatica, 210

— lotenia, 212

— minima, 211, 242

— zeylonica, 212

Arboricola torqueola, 104, 126

ARDEIDAE, 230

Ardeola grayii, 231

Argul, 92

Arisaema jacque-montii, 53

Astur badius, 224

Babblers, 42 seq., 48, 107, 109, 111, 187, 236

Babul, 16

Bageswar, 23

Baker, Stuart, 84

Baldwin, 100

Banbakra, 45, 143

Barakheri stream, 20

Barbets, 26, 79, 121, 174 seq., 214, 243

Bar-wing, rufous, 110

Bee-eater, 27

Begonia, 17

Benog, 102

Berberry, 17

Bhabar, 15

Bhimraj, 55

Bhim Tal, 20

Bhotias, 23

Birch, 17

"Birds of Illinois and Wisconsin," 142

Birds of prey, 125

Blanford, 85

Blood-pheasant, 99

Blue jay, 27

Borax, 23

Boukotako, 85

Brachypodinae, 138

Brachypternus aurantius, 243

Brain-fever bird, 83, 86, 219

British Museum, 172

Broken Pekoe Bird, 85

BUCEROTIDAE, 122

Bulbul, 27, 35, 42, 49, 50 seq., 112, 138

Buller, Sir Walter, 171

Buntings, 72

Burma, 152

Bush-chat, 66 seq.

Butcher-birds, 56

Caccabis chucar, 103

Calls of birds, 36

Campophaga melanoschista, 114

Cape, the, 18

CAPITONIDAE, 79, 121, 214, 243

CAPRIMULGIDAE, 218

Carpodacus erythrinus, 207

Catreus wellichi, 101

Centauria, 18, 25

Centropus sinensis, 219, 244

Cephalopyrus flammiceps, 48

Certhia discolor, 113

— himalayana, 55

CERTHIIDAE, 55, 113

Ceryle lugubris, 79, 121

Chaetura indica, 216

— nudipes, 123

Chakor, 103

Chalcophaps indica, 98

Chaptia aenea, 237

CHARADRIIDAE, 104, 126, 229, 246

Cheer, 100

Chimarrhornis leucocephalus, 69

Chloropsis malabarica, 191

Choughs, 25, 29, 30, 106

Chrysococcyx xanthorhynchus, 83

Chrysocolaptes gutticristatus, 214, 242

Coccystes jacobinus, 219

Collocalia francicia, 217

— fuciphaga, 217

Colorado, 18

Colt's-foot, 17, 25

COLUMBIDAE, 97, 125, 225, 246

Columbines, 17, 25

Coonoor, 186, 196, 199, 206 seq., 212, 214

Coppersmith, 26, 215

Copschychus saularis, 241

Coracias indica, 32

Corby, 26, 29

CORVIDAE, 29, 105, 185, 235

Corvus macrorhyncus, 29, 105, 185, 235

— splendens, 29, 87

Coturnix communis, 102, 126

Coucal, 219

CRATEROPODIDAE, 42, 49, 107, 187, 236

Crateropus canorus, 188

Crow, 105, 235

— black, 35

— grey-necked, 22

— jungle, 29

Cryptolopha Jerdoni, 148

— xanthoschista, 56, 146

Cuckoo-dove, 99, 125

Cuckoo, European, 26

Cuckoos, 82 seq., 123, 219, 244

Cuckoo-shrike, 114

CUCULIDAE, 82, 123, 219, 244

Cuculus canorus, 82, 84, 123

— micropterus, 85, 124

— poliocephalus, 123

— saturatus, 85, 123

Culicicapa ceylonensis, 63, 202, 241

Cuming, E. D., 137

Cyanops franklini, 121

Cyornis melanoleucus, 117

— rubeculoides, 116

— superciliaris, 63, 115

— tickelli, 202, 241

Cypress, 17

CYPSELIDAE, 81, 123, 216, 244

Cypselus affinis, 81, 244

— melba, 82

Dabchick, 247

Daisies, 17, 25

Dandelion, 17, 25

Darjeeling, 105 seq., 107, 109 seq., 113 seq., 115, 117 seq., 125, 136

Darwinian theory, 171

Davison, 191, 228

Delhi, 24

Dendrocitta himalayensis, 31, 106

— rufa, 236

Dendrocopus auriceps, 77 seq.

— cathpharius, 120

— himalayensis, 78

Deodar, 17, 22

Dhakuri, 24 seq.

Dhanpur, 23

Dhobi bird, 67, 153

DICAEIDAE, 77, 119, 212, 242

Dicaeum concolor, 213, 242

— erythrorhyncus, 213, 242

— ignipectus, 77, 119

DICRURIDAE, 53, 113, 196, 237

Dicrurus ater, 53, 141

— longicaudatus, 54, 113

Dig-dall, 31

Dimorphism, 83

Dissemurus paradiseus, 55

Dove, 26, 97, 125, 225, 246

Drongo, 53, 113, 196, 237

Ducula cuprea, 225

Eagles, 93, 125, 245

Eastern Himalayas, 105

Edelweiss, 18, 25

"Eha," 50, 139, 204

Emberiza stewarti, 73

— stracheyi, 72

Eudynamis honorata, 83, 86, 219, 244

— taitensis, 171

Eulabes religiosa, 240

EULABETIDAE, 240

Evergreen oaks, 17

"Exile," 95

Fairbank, Dr., 235, 239 seq., 244, 246

Fairy blue-chat, 64

FALCONIDAE, 93, 125, 223, 245

Finches, 71, 118, 207, 241

Finn, 136, 221

Fir, silver, 17

Flower-peckers, 77, 119, 212, 242

Flycatchers, 22, 27, 56, 62 seq., 114 seq., 200, 240

"Forests of Upper India," 18

Forktail, 117, 151 seq.

Francolinus vulgaris, 103, 126

FRINGILLIDAE, 71, 118, 207, 241

Gagar, 20 seq.

Galerita cristata, 210

Gallinula chloropus, 230

Galloperdix spadicea, 228, 246

Gallus ferrugineus, 228

— lafayetti, 228

— sonnerati, 228, 246

Game birds, 99

Garhwal, 76

Garrulax albigularis, 44, 107

— leucolophus, 107

Garrulus bispecularis, 33, 106

— glandarius, 34

— lanceolatus, 33

Garwalis, 23

Gecinus chlorolophus, 120

— occipitalis, 120

— squamatus, 78

Gennaeus albicristatus, 100

— leucomelanus, 125

Gentians, 17, 25

Glaucidium brodiei, 89, 124

Gneiss, 19

Godavery, 228

Gola river, 20

Grackles, 240

Graculus eremita, 30, 106

Grammatophila striata, 108

Granite, 18 seq.

Grebes, 247

Green-pigeon, 26

Grey-backed shrike, 58

Grey-headed flycatcher, 63, 146

Grey-winged ouzel, 158

Griffon, 92

Griff's pheasant, 220

Grosbeaks, 71, 164

Gypaetus barbatus, 92

Gyps himalayensis, 92, 124

— indicus, 222, 245

Gurkhas, 22

Haematospiza sipahi, 118

Halcyon smyrnensis, 216

Haliastur indus, 224, 246

Hawk-cuckoo, 86

Hemichelidon ferruginea, 116

— sibirica, 116

Henicurus maculatus, 67, 117, 151, 158

Herons, 230

Hieraetus fasciatus, 125, 223

— pennatus, 93

Hierococcyx sparverioides, 86, 124, 219

— varius, 83, 86, 124, 219, 244

Himalayas, 13 seq.

HIRUNDINIDAE, 73, 119, 208, 242

Hirundo erythropygia, 208

— javanica, 208

— nepalensis, 74, 119

— rustica, 74, 119

Hodgson's hawk-eagle, 95

Hoopoes, 80, 244

Hornbills, 122

Horse-chestnut, 17, 22

House-crow, 26, 29

Houses of the hill folk, 21

Hume, 44, 102, 154

Hutton, 94, 176

Hypacanthis spinoides, 71

Hypopicus hypererythrus, 78, 120

Hypsipetes, 140

— ganeesa, 195, 237

— psaroides, 51, 112, 140, 142

Ianthocincla ocellata, 107

— rufigularis, 45, 107

Ictinaetus malayensis, 125, 223, 245

Idle schoolboy, 154

Impeyan pheasant, 99

Iole icteria, 194, 237

Ixulus flavicollis, 110

Jays, 27, 29, 32 seq., 36 seq., 106

Jerdon, 39, 47, 64, 74, 81, 108, 116, 137, 142, 152, 176, 190, 191, 220

Jungle-fowl, 226

Jungle myna, 60

Juniper, 17

Kalij, 100

Kalimat mountain, 22

Kashmir, 75, 228

Kathgodam, 19, 21

Kestrel, 96, 125, 246

Ketupa zeylonensis, 221, 245

Khairna, 46

King-crow, 22, 53

Kingfishers, 79, 121, 215, 243

Kite, 27, 35, 96, 125, 246

Kodikanal, 235 seq.

Koel, 22, 26, 83, 86, 219

Kokla green-pigeon, 125

Koklas pheasant, 100 seq.

Kosi river, 46

Kumaun, 81

Kumaunis, 23

Kuphini river, 25

Kyphulpakka, 85

"Lahore to Yarkand," 148

Lal, 205 seq.

Laldana Binaik pass, 21

Lammergeyer, 92

Landour, 81

LANIIDAE, 56, 114, 198, 238

Lanius cristatus, 198

— erythronotus, 57, 198, 238

— nigriceps, 58

— tephronotus, 58, 114

— vittatus, 57

Larks, 210

Laughing-thrushes, 27, 42 seq., 107

Liopicus mahrattensis, 243

Lioptila capistrata, 47, 109

Liothrix lutea, 110, 133

Lobelia excelsa, 197, 200

Lophophanes melanopterus, 41

Lophospizias trivirgatus, 224

Loriculus vernalis, 221, 245

Love-bird, 245

Machlolophus haplonotus, 186, 236

— spilonotus, 106

— xanthogenys, 40

Macropteryx coronata, 217

Macropygia tusalia, 99, 125

Madras, 212

Magpie, blue, 27, 30 seq.

Magpie-robin, 22, 27

Maidenhair, 17

"Making of Species," 171

Malabar whistling-thrush, 154, 237

Mango, 16

Marshall, Colonel, 149

Megalaema marshallorum, 79, 121, 174

Megalaemas, 175, 178

Merula boulboul, 69, 118, 158

— simillima, 204, 241

Microcichla scouleri, 117

Microperdix erythrorhynchus, 229, 246

Milvus govinda, 96, 125, 223, 245

— melanotis, 96

Minla igneitincta, 111

Minivets, 58, 114, 198

Mohrhaita, 94

Molpastes, 138

— bengalensis, 50

— haemorrhous, 191, 237

— leucogenys, 51, 112

Monal pheasant, 25

Monaul, 99

Moss, hanging, 17

Motacilla maderaspatensis, 208

— melanope, 75

MOTACILLIDAE, 75, 119, 208, 242

Mountain-thrush, 118

Munia, 205

Murree, 56, 59, 78, 146

MUSCICAPIDAE, 62, 114, 200, 240

Mussoorie, 26, 42, 45, 49, 59, 86, 89, 94, 97, 103, 136

Mycerobas, 164

— melanoxanthus, 164

Myna, 22, 27, 37, 44, 60, 199, 240

Myiophoneus horsfieldi, 237

— temmincki, 46, 109, 154

Naini Tal, 20, 33, 42, 46, 51, 53, 56, 59, 64 seq., 75 seq., 86, 94, 146, 149, 158, 163

NECTARINIDAE, 76, 119, 210, 242

Neophron ginginianus, 90, 222, 245

Nepalese, 23

New Zealand, 171

Nightjars, 218

Nilgiris, 37, 42

— common birds of the, 183

Nilkhant, 31

Niltava grandis, 115

— macgrigoriae, 115

— sundara, 64, 115

Nim, 16

Nucifraga hemispila, 39

— multipunctata, 39

Nutcrackers, 38

Nuthatch, 42, 52, 113, 195

Oak, 17

— forest, 24

Oates, 133, 146, 148, 206, 208

Ochromela nigrirufa, 201, 240

Oology of cuckoos, 84

Ootacamund 186, 206 seq., 219, 221, 230 seq.

Orchid, 18

Oreicola ferrea, 66

Oreocincla dauma, 70

— molissima, 118

— nilgirensis, 205

Oreocorys sylvanus, 75, 119

Oriental region, 28

Orioles, 59, 199

ORIOLIDAE, 59, 199, 239

Oriolus kundoo, 59, 165, 199

— melanocephalus, 165, 199, 239

Orthotomus sartorius, 145, 196, 238

Otocompsa, 138, 147

— emeria, 50

— fuscicaudata, 192, 237

Otogyps calvus, 222, 245

Ouzel, 118

— grey-winged, 69, 158 seq.

Owlets, spotted, 27

Owls, 88, 124, 221, 245

Paddy bird, 27

Palaearctic region, 28

Palaeornis columboides, 220, 244

— cyanocephalus, 88

— schisticeps, 87, 124

— torquatus, 87

Palm, 16

Palni Hills, common birds of the, 235 seq.

Paradise flycatcher, 64

Paroquets, 26

Parrots, 87, 124, 244

Partridges, 102

Partridge, hill, 126

Parus atriceps, 42, 106, 186

— monticola, 40, 106, 128

Passer cinamomeus, 72

— domesticus, 207, 241

— montanus, 118

Pathargarhi muta, 21

Pea-fowl, 220

Pekin-robin, 110, 133

Pericrocotus brevirostris, 58, 114

— flammeus, 199, 238

— peregrinus, 238

— speciosus, 58

Petrophila cinclorhynca, 70, 118

Pharaoh's chicken, 91

PHASIANIDAE, 99, 125, 226, 246

Pheasants, 125, 246

PICIDAE, 77, 119, 213, 242

Piculets, 121

Picumnus innominatus, 121

Pies, 29

Pigeon, green, 97

Pindari glacier, 19 seq.

— river, 25

— road, 23

Pine, 22

Pinus longifolia, 17

Pipits, 75, 119, 209

Plantain, 16

PLOCEIDAE, 205

Plovers, 104, 126, 229, 246

Plumbeous redstart, 69

Pneopyga squamata, 113

PODICIPEDIDAE, 247

Podicipes albipennis, 247

Pomatorhinus erythrogenys, 45, 108

— horsfieldi, 188, 236

— schisticeps, 108

Pratincola atrata, 204, 241

— maura, 67

Prinia inorata, 238

— socialis, 146, 197, 238

Psaroglossa spiloptera, 49

Pseudogyps bengalensis, 91, 124, 222, 245

PSITTACIDAE, 87, 124, 220, 244

Ptyonoprogne rupestris, 74

Pucrasia macrolopha, 101

Puli, 49

Puttani kurivi, 187

Pycnorhamphus, 164

— icteroides, 71, 164

Pyrrhocorax alpinus, 30, 106

Pyrrhopicus pyrrhotis, 120

Quail, 102, 126

Quartz, 18 seq.

Rails, 230

Rajpur, 26, 86

RALLIDAE, 230

Ramganga stream, 21

Ranibagh, 20

Raspberries, 17

Rattray, Colonel, 167

Redstart, 118

Red waxbill, 206

Red-whiskered bulbul, 50

Rhipidura albifrontata, 202, 241

— allicollis, 115

— pectoralis, 202

Rhododendron, 17, 21, 24

Rhyacornis fuliginosus, 69, 118

Ring-dove, 98

Robin, Indian, 27

Rock-thrush, 70, 118

Rohilkhand, 19

— and Kumaun Railway, 19

Roller, Indian, 32

Rose-finch, 207

Rufous-backed shrike, 57

— chinned laughing-thrush, 45

Sal, 16

Sarju river, 23 seq.

Sasia ochracea, 121

Sath bhai, 188

Sat Tal, 20

Scavenger vulture, 27

Scimitar-babblers, 45, 108

Scolopax rusticola, 104, 126

Scops spilocephalus, 89, 124

Scully, 176

Seven sisters, 27, 35, 43

Sharpe, 172

Shesham, 16

Shikra, 224

Shorea robusta, 16

Shrikes, 56 seq., 114, 198

Sibia, 42, 47

Simla, 31

Siphia strophiata, 117

Sitta frontalis, 195, 237

— himalayensis, 52, 113

SITTIDAE, 52, 113, 195, 237

Siva, 110

Small-billed mountain-thrush, 70

Snow-cocks, 99

— pigeons, 25

Sparrow, 72

Sphenocercus sphenurus, 97, 125

Spilornis cheela, 95, 125

Spiraea, 22

Spizaetus limnaetus, 93

— nepalensis, 93

Sporaeginthus amandava, 206

Spotted forktail, 67, 151

— wing, 49

Stachyrhidopsis ruficeps, 109

Stachyrhis nigriceps, 109

Starlings, 60, 199, 239

Stoparola albicaudata, 201, 241

— melanops, 62, 115

"Stray feathers," 239

Streaked laughing-thrush, 43

STRIGIDAE, 88, 124, 221, 245

Strobilanthes whitiani, 228

STURNIDAE, 60, 199, 239

Sturnus humii, 60

Sual river, 21

Sunbirds, 76, 119, 210, 242

Suya atrigularis, 114

Swallows, 73, 119, 208, 242

Swifts, 73, 81 seq., 123, 216, 244

SYLVIIDAE, 55, 113, 196, 238

Syrnium indrani, 89, 124, 221

Takula, 22

Tamarind, 16

Tarai, 15

Temenuchus pagodarum, 240

Temperature, 28

Terpsiphone affinis, 115

— paradisi, 64, 203

Thereiceryx, 175

— viridis, 215, 243

— zeylonicus, 215

Thrushes, 35, 37, 46, 66, 117, 204, 241

Tibet, 18

Tibetans, 23

Tinnunculus alaudarius, 96, 125, 224, 246

Tits, 27, 29, 35, 39 seq., 106, 111, 129

Totanus glareola, 230

Townsend, 178

Tragopans, 99

Tree-creepers, 42, 113

— pie, 31, 106

— sparrow, 118

Trochalopterum cachinnans, 189

— chrysopterum, 107

— erythrocephalum, 45

— fairbanki, 236

— lineatum, 43

— squamatum, 108

Tun, 22

TURDIDAE, 66, 117, 204, 241

Turtur cambayensis, 98, 226, 246

— ferago, 98

— risorius, 98

— suratensis, 98, 125, 226, 246

Upupa epops, 80

— indica, 244

UPUPIDAE, 80, 244

Urocissa flavirostris, 31

— occipitalis, 31, 159

Uroloncha pectoralis, 206

— punctulata, 205

Violet cuckoo, 83

VULTURIDAE, 89, 124, 221, 245

Wagtails, 75, 119, 208, 242

Warblers, 42, 55, 113, 196, 238

Warbler of distinction, 145

Water-robin, 69, 118

Weaver-birds, 205

Weber (Forests of Upper India), 18

Western Himalayas, 29

Whistling-thrushes, 42, 46, 237

White-capped redstart, 69

White-cheeked bulbul, 51

White-eyes, 35, 42, 47

White, Gilbert, 38

White-throated laughing-thrush, 44

Wilson, 101

Woodcock, 126

Woodpecker, 27, 42, 77 seq., 119, 213, 242

Wren, 55, 113

Xantholaema haematocephala, 174

Yuhina gularis, 111

Zosterops palpebrosa, 47, 110, 190, 236



BY THE SAME AUTHOR

ANIMALS OF NO IMPORTANCE. THE INDIAN CROW—HIS BOOK. BOMBAY DUCKS. BIRDS OF THE PLAINS. INDIAN BIRDS. JUNGLE FOLK. GLIMPSES OF INDIAN BIRDS.

IN COLLABORATION WITH FRANK FINN

THE MAKING OF SPECIES.

THE END