BIRDS. 



59 



CHAPTER III. 



The Birds of India. 



VultuTes-Lammergeyer-Pondicherry Eagle-Finch Falcon of Bengal 

 —Hawk-owl of Ceylon— Fork-Uiled Shrike— Jocose Shrike or Bulbul 

 — Miria-bird— Locust-eatins Grakle— Honeysuckers— Knigfishers— - 

 Hornbills— Woodpeckers— Wryneck— Parrot Tribe— Common Pea- 

 cock— Aldrovandiiie Peacock— Polyplectron— Domestic Poultry- Jun- 

 gle Cock— Loiihophorus-Horned Pheasant— Bustards— Golden Plo- 

 ver— Coromandel Courier— Gigantic Stork— Anastomus— Rhynchea— 

 Gulls— Terns— Geese— Widgeon— Pink-headed Pochard. 



The birds of India must be admitted to be on the whole 

 less splendid than those of South America ; but the class 

 itself being in seneral remarkable both for splendour of 

 colour and gracefulness of form, many gorgeous examples 

 of feathered life occur in the tropical regions of the Asiatic 

 continent. The shining creepers, the ring-necked paro- 

 quets, the lories, and many others, are indeed very signal 

 instances of ornithological beauty. We shall, however, 

 commence with the accipitrine tribes, those "lords of the 

 lion heart and eagle eye," which are usually more remark- 

 able for strength of body and power of wing than for the 

 adornment of a showy or fantastic plumage.* 



* Let us here note, that collections lately transmitted to this country 

 indicate a stronger analogy between the ornitliological productions of the 

 north of India and those of Europe than has been previously supposed. 

 Our present limits exclude those details into which we might otherwise 

 be tempted to enter in illustration of this curious topic ; but we consider 

 ourselves as authorized to name the following species, from the Him- 

 malch range, as identical with those of Europe, viz. The lammergeyer 

 (Gypoihis harOatiLs). the cuckoo {Cuculus canorus), the rosecolouied 

 0U7e; (Pastor rosevs). the hoonoe ( Vpupa epops), the stonechat (Stucicola 

 rnbicola), ihc wllincbat (.S. rnbetra), the black redstart {Sylvia tithys), 

 the common redstart (Sylvia pluBntcurus), the missel-thrush (lurdus 

 viscivoTus), the starling (Sluruns vulgaris), the kingfisher (Alcedo 

 ispida). the sand|)i|)er (Trf/ts-a hypoleucns), the wryneck (YiWtx tor- 

 qudla), the red-legged crow (Coradas i'ra^u/us), the common heron 

 (Ardea cinerea), the francolin partridge (Vra-ncoUmis vulgaris), the pin- 

 tail duck (Anas acuta), the rcd-cresied duck (.4. rvfina), the ferruginous 



