M. Sundevall on the Birds of Calcutta. 103 



year 1828 ; although these amount to very few, considering the 

 great number of birds which must be found in such a rich coun- 

 try as Bengal situated under the tropics*. 



I staid in that country from the beginning of February till 

 nearly the middle of May, rather more than three months ; but 

 I must not forget to observe, that during that time my attention 

 was much taken up by the increasing new objects of all kinds, 

 with the view of obtaining as many as possible of every descrip- 

 tion of natural productions. The specimens which I brought 

 home are preserved in the collection of the first gentleman of the 

 bed-chamber, Baron Gyllenkroks, through whose patronage I had 

 the opportunity of visiting India. I have only examined the 

 nearest spots around Calcutta and the Danish possession Seram- 

 pore, which is situated on the river four geographical miles to the 

 north ; also the banks of the river a few miles further to the north 

 as far as Sucsagor, where a small lake is found which abounds in 

 water-birds. The whole of this spot is cultivated and taken pos- 

 session of by man, just as much as any part in Europe. The 

 country is low and flat and covered with mud, free from stones, 

 for it is the deposit of the floods, and consequently increases 

 every year. It is used by turns for farming or plantation as well 

 as for groves of a great variety of trees, but mostly for bamboos 

 and fruit-trees. These groves are for several miles around Cal- 

 cutta so numerous that the country looks like a large forest, but 

 five or six [Swedish] miles to the north above Chandernagor and 

 Hoogly, or near Sucsagor, the great plains of Bengal commence. 

 There is never an opportunity to visit the remarkable uninhabited 

 tract of the coast close to the sea called Sunderbunds, which 

 occupies eight to twelve miles to the south of Calcutta, which 

 latter is situated fifteen miles from the sea. The tract is very 

 woody, marshy, and in the highest degree unhealthy. The tigers 

 which it is said are found there, but still more the quickly-killing 

 fever ( jungle -fever), which generally attacks those who dare to 

 visit these wild tracts, have made the name alone a horror to the 

 inhabitants of Calcutta. Certain I was that the tales were ex- 



* Besides the circulated accounts, the original sources for the ornithology 

 of India known to me are principally Gould's ' Birds of the Himalaya Moun- 

 tains,' whose work I have not had an opportunity to make use of, and also 

 Gray's ' Illustrations of Indian Zoology/ of which seven parts contain forty- 

 five hirds. The earlier accounts, e. g. Sonnerat's, had been introduced al- 

 ready into the work of Latham. Latham's ' General History of Birds ' con- 

 tains an extraordinary number of Indian species, which for the greater part 

 have been described after the drawings of General Hardwicke, Mr. Anstvu- 

 ther and others; but from the want of criticism, it is very difficult to make 

 any use of this great work, which is the more to be regretted, as it contains 

 numerous and excellent observations on the history of the different kinds by 

 Buchanan and others. — C. J. S. 



