THE BIRDS OF DlMBULA. 13 



THE BIRDS OF DlMBULA. 



By James Ryan (Talawakcle). 



THPjRE is a common delusion that birds are scarce on a tea 

 estate, and I have heard Dimbiila mentioned as exceptionally 

 poor in bird life. A little careful work with a pair of good binoculars 

 will very quickly show that birds of many kinds are not only 

 common, but are there in large numbers. 



As a matter of fact up-country birds are usually crepuscular 

 to a large extent, feeding before dawn and in the gray of the evening, 

 and they are usually silent and furtive in their habits during the 

 daytime, and especially at midday. This may be explained by a 

 number of reasons more or less adequate. I am inclined to think, 

 however, that the principal one is that insect life is more abundant 

 at morning and evening than in broad daylight. 



It must be remembered also that the primeval jungle of Dimbula 

 was very dense, and anything like free flight must have been 

 difficult, so birds took largely to creeping and hopping from twig 

 to twig ; whilst in tea and coffee it is obvious that the principal 

 food supply lies in the heart, not on the upper surface of the bush. 

 What share the necessity for avoiding snakes, lizards, vermin (rats 

 swarm in the tea field), and hawks may have in determining the 

 furtive habit of estate birds is difficult to appraise. 



There can be no doubt, however, that the numerous hawks and 

 eagles levy toll on bird and reptile, and that snakes, and probably 

 some lizards, eat eggs and young birds. It may be remarked that 

 most of the birds appear to be insectivorous, as I have found 

 that mulberries and crumbs put out for the birds are very seldom 

 touched. An exception of course is that " avian rat," the sparrow. 

 Sparrows should be discouraged in every possible way ; they do 

 no good, and drive away many more useful and interesting birds. 

 The best way to " out " them is to destroy their nests, but a 

 handful of paddy and an ordinary sieve will soon catch a fair number. 



The foUoAving list of birds was compiled with the assistance of 

 Mr. H. F. Fernando, Taxidermist of the Colombo Museum. During 

 his four days' visit to Talawakeloiu July, 1907, in the teeth of the 

 south-west monsoon (7'34 inches of rain were registered, and the 

 wind was exceptionally boisterous), thirty varieties of birds were 

 obserxed and thirteen shot. It may be remarked that most of 

 the birds were observed in the immediate neighbourhood of the 

 bungalow, where there are a few old seed-bearing tea trees and 

 some fruit trees. 



