SKINS AND FEATHERS 



umler : COMMON FEATHERS used for upholstery ; DOWN used for Quilts ; 

 \MENTAL FEATHERS and QUILLS. In India the feathers of the 

 ir !u\\l are almost universally destroyed through the habit 

 .moviiiL' them after immersion in hot water. Were an effort 

 to remedy this defect, India might supply a large quantity of 

 upholstery feathers. The same remark is applicable to the supply of 

 lown. Ornamental feathers are usually referred to three classes: 

 those like the ostrich plumes whose barbulesare long and loose, giving 

 it <it form ; (6) those in which the plumes are decomposed, as in the 

 jind (c) those that manifest great beauty and brilliancy of colour 

 i.i-low under Plumage). Balfour (Cyclop, of India) appears to be the 

 nly writer who has so far afforded particulars of the feather industry 

 irtnnately an industry of historic but not of great future intrinsic value. 

 I.- tells us that "the Madras dealers in birds' feathers used to carry on 

 trade on an extensive scale. One dealer had nearly 100 sets of 

 mnters, each composed of four or five shikaris and one cook ; most of 

 lese people are korawas (basket-makers) who live in and about Madras. 

 Sach set has its head man, who is responsible for the others. The sets 

 lit out once a year, each receiving from Us. 20 to Rs. 100 together 

 rith a number of nets, a knife, etc. They traverse all India, collecting 

 le feathers of kingfishers, etc." " They bring back from 1,000 to 6,000 

 which are exported to Europe, Burma, Penang, Singapore and 

 ilacca." The blue jay feathers are much in demand in China. 

 (6) Ostrich. Some few years ago an effort was made to establish ostrich 

 ia rniing in India (near Agra) but with little or no success. Mention has 

 recently been made of Mysore as a favourable locality, a suggestion in- 

 )ired by the great success of the Australian farms. [Cf. Madras Weekly 

 I nil. Aug. 1899; Pioneer, Sept. 1903: for Food to be given to Ostriches, 

 Agave, p. 35.] 



(c) Plumage-Birds. The following, it may be added, are the chief birds 

 tilled in India on account of their plumage, the particulars given being 

 abstracted very largely from Blanford. A certain amount of grouping 

 been attempted in order to save space ; thus all the paroquets are 

 wrought together, all the bustards together, etc., etc., the assortment 

 jing otherwise alphabetical according to the scientific names of the birds 



oups of birds : 



Ardea cinerea (Fa. Br. 2nd. (Birds), iv. 382 et aeq), the Common or 

 lue Heron, the nari, anjan, sain, etc. ; Ardeaia gi-tiyi, the Pond Heron or 

 yla, khonch-bogla, kokku, etc. A common and familiar bird of rice-fields and 

 tillage tanks often called the Paddy-bird ; also itni>ni<-it < rim..*i. the 

 " ittle Egret or eurkhia-bagla, gai bogla, huni koku, etc. This egret is a constant 

 ttendant on cattle and feeds on the insects that are attracted to them, 

 slater groups these three herons together as birds that produce feathers which 

 sold in large quantities, but which do not fetch such high prices as the egrets 

 sroper. 



Ceryle varia (I.e. iii., 119), the Indian Pied Kingfisher, the koryala- 

 k'la or karikata; Halcyon -...../'-- (I.e. iii., 132), the White-breasted 

 Lingfisher or kilkila, khandu, machranga, etc. ; fe*-j/ //* yiiriai (l.c. 

 I-".)), the Brown -headed Kingfisher, gtirial, badami, etc. These and several 

 "th'T kingfishers, such as n<i'> iejtiaa, chota kilkila, A. >/"'"''* the 

 Great Indian Kingfisher, and *;/ trifiartyiu. the Three-toed Purple King- 

 fisher, are all extensively slaughtered for their skins. Hunter (Stat. Ace. Beng. ) 

 makes special mention of the traffic in the skins of kingfishers from Tippera 

 .11 ul Chittagong to Burma and China. Mr. C. M. Inglis says that in Darbhanga 

 there is a village of 16 houses, all concerned in the bird-skin trade. One man 

 told him that on an average he snared at least 100 kingfishers during the season, 



139 



BIRDS 



Plumage 



Ornament. 



Skin collection. 



Ostrich 

 Farming. 



Plumage. 



Blue Heron. 



Paddy-birds. 

 Cattie Egret*. 



KiiLjlishers. 



