BIRDS 



SKINS AND FEATHERS Industrial 



used formerly to frequent Calcutta and is still met with at the Salt Lakes and 

 hna been found in immense herds in Burma. The down of the young ad- 

 jutant hird is (or rather was formerly) made into ladies' boa* and victorinea. BOM. 

 ML- uii'l-T-t.nil coverts are collected and sold in considerable quantity. They 



nitwn in trade as Marabout or Commeroolly feathers, and seem to be pro- Marabout or 

 i ur'il .11 |>r. ~.-nt mainly from Tirchoor and Malabar, though formerly the traffic Commercollj 

 ilirfly from Commercolly and Nadiya to Calcutta. It is described by p ** th r *- 



250) ; Baber (Memoirs, 1519-25, 321) and Ball (Jungle Life, 82) both 

 bo tin- snake-stone said to be found in the head of this bird. 



Lophophorus refulgens (I.e. iv., 96), the mondl, nil, lout (male), karari, Jfoaalt. 

 )inn> (tViimle), nil-mor, nilgur, datiya, etc. An extremely beautiful and large 

 pheasant found throughout the Himalaya, from Chitral and Kashmir to 

 Bhutan, at altitudes of from 9,000 to 15,000 feet, except in the winter, 

 \\ln-ii it may be found at 5,000 feet. Skins of the cock birds are extensively 

 traded in all over India, and a fairly large number are annually exported, 

 the supply received at Calcutta coming mainly from Bhutan and Nepal. 

 Sclater tells us that he has seen as many as 1,000 skins offered for sale at 

 mil- time. 



Palaeornis cyanocephalus (I.e. Hi., 251-9), the Western Blossom-headed Paroquets. 

 Paroquet, the tuia-tota, faraida, kir, etc. A fairly plentiful bird in the 

 forests of the lower Himalaya and Peninsula of India. -P. /*!*<< fi, the Red- 

 breasted Paroquet, the madna, kdjla, gour-tota, etc. Himalaya up to 5,000 feet 

 from Kumaon to Assam, Manipur, Burma, Cambodia, Cochin-China, etc. 

 An inhabitant of well-wooded tracts, but visitant of the intervening fields. 

 i*. in-iitiifni*. the Large Indian Paroquet or chandana, a bird met with 

 plentifully in Northern and Central India, the lower Himalaya, the Northern 

 Circars, Kangra and Mount Abu to Bengal. J. ronn, the Eastern Blossom- 

 headed Paroquet, the kyay-ta-ma of Burma. Lastly, JP. toruiiatu*, the 

 Rose-ringed Paroquet or tota, lybur tota, tiya tola, ragu, chilluka, killi, kyay- 

 gyot, etc. This is by far the most plentiful paroquet of India, and abounds 

 towns and houses and prefers open cultivated lands to forest tracts. It 

 does much damage to field and garden crops. It is very frequently kept 

 pet, and is a very docile and loquacious bird. Baber (Memoirs, 319) gives Speaking Bird*. 



account of the various birds of this kind that were taught to speak by the 

 le of India in his day (early in the 16th century). 



lost of the above species of paroquets are extensively killed on account 

 of their skins, but since they are very abundant and often very destructive, 

 little regret need be expressed at their being annually killed off to a certain 

 extent. Paroquet skins are largely exported from Hill Tippera. 



Pavo erf status (I.e. iv., 68), the Common Peafowl, the mor, mahr, manja Peafowl, 

 (male), manir (female), myl, nimili, nowl, etc. Plentiful throughout all the 

 drier tracts of India. It ascends the Himalaya to 2,000 feet in altitude. 

 Abounds in Gujarat (a fact specially mentioned by Thevenot in 1687), Kach, 

 and Rajputana, and being protected, since regarded by certain Hindus as sacred, 

 it frequently does much damage to the fields. The males moult their 

 long trains after the breeding season, about September, and the feathers are Moulting Season, 

 collected by the villagers and sold, but in many parts of the country large 

 numbers are killed, and their feathers and complete tails sold to the dealers. 

 In Indian Art at Delhi (1903, 198-9) particulars will be found of the artistic 

 use of peacock feathers. They are largely employed in ornamental work, Peacock 

 such as the manufacture of fans, morchals, chaurif, braids, etc. Some few Feathers. 

 years ago a large trade was done in peacock-feather braids, which were used in Braids. 

 tn mining dresses and for other such purposes. The chief centres of manu- 

 facture are Agra, Aurangabad, Benares, Jhansi, Mysore, Nepal and Savantvadi. 

 Peacock feathers seem to be exported mainly from Bombay. [Cf. Baber, 

 I.e. 318 ; Ainslie, Mat. Ind., 1826, i., 290.] 



Plotus melanogaster (I.e. iv., 344), the Indian Darter or Snake-bird, the Snake-birda. 

 banwa, pan dubbi, goyar, etc. This bird exists throughout India and Burma, 

 wherever fairly extensive lakes, marches, etc., of fresh water or large rivers with . 

 slow currents occur. According to Jerdon the lengthened scapular feathers are 

 looked on as a badge of royalty by the Khasias, and were once the badge of 

 one of the Bengal regiments of Irregular Cavalry. The birda are killed on 

 account of these feathers, which formerly were fairly extensively exported. 



Tragopan melanocephalus (I.e. iv., 100), the Western or Simla Horned The Argus 

 Pheasant, jewar, jaghi, aing-monal, jigurana (male), bodal (female), falgur, etc. Pheasant*. 



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