BIRDS OF EASTERN AND SOUTHERN ASIA, 



as British, because a single pair has been known 

 to stray so far beyond its ordinary haunts. Of 

 the smaller British land-birds only few occur, 

 and these are mostly rarities in the west ; but 

 the Wryneck is not uncommon, though little ob- 

 served, and the European Cuckoo will now and 

 then turn up, more frequently in the barred 

 plumage of immaturity ; the Hoopoe, too, is 

 common, but is much too rare in England to 

 awaken a reminiscence, and so with others- 

 Of course we allude to the cold season, and to 

 birds in their winter quarters, Among the 

 hawks, the Kestrel will occasionally be observ- 

 ed in extraordinary abundance ; and Harriers 

 ( Circus) are often seen beating over the open 

 ground ; but the small waders are particularly 

 common in all suitable places, including most 

 of those found in Britain, in greater or le=s 

 abundance. It would be tiresome to particular- 

 rize further. But wonderful is the number of 

 fishers, and vast indeed must be the consumption 

 of their finny prey. Otters (Lutra nair) 

 among the mammalia, but no Seals ; and 

 of birds, sundry fishing Eagles, and a great 

 bare-legged fishing Owl, with various King- 

 fishers in abundance, numerous kinds of 

 Heron in surprising numbers, Pelicans, Darters 

 (Plotus), Pygmy Cormorants, and Grebes or 

 ' Dabchicks besides Gulls, Terns, and rarely 

 Skimmers {Rhynchops). Gulls, however, are less 

 numerous thsn in Britain ; but three species, 

 the common British Larus ridibundus and a 

 nearly affined species, with the fine L. 

 icihyaetus are seen chiefly towards the mouths 

 of the Gangetic rivers. Over the salt water 

 lake near Calcutta, has been seen a very uni- 

 formly scattered flight of the great White 

 Egret, so prized at home. The Gull-billed 

 Tern is there one of the common birds, and 

 the Whiskered Tern {Hydrochelidon leuco- 

 pariea), replacing the Black Tern of the 

 Kentish marshes ; and the Peregrine Falcon 

 may not unfrequently be seen, well meritinsr 

 the name of ' duck Hawk' bestowed on it in 

 North America : also great flocks of Longshanks 

 (Himantopus) wading and seeking their sub- 

 sistence in the expanse of shallow water. Along 

 the reed-fringed nullahs or water-courses, the 

 muddy banks are honeycombed with the foot- 

 steps of wild Pigs of all sizes, and various 

 Ballidce ave swarming around, as tlie numbers 

 of themcaptured in trap-cagesabundantly testify. 

 Passing from the delta of Lower Bengal, no 

 matter in what direction, a consideral)le re- 

 placement of species may be observed, charac- 

 teristic of the fauna of Behar and of the plains 

 of Upper India to the west and north, and of 

 the Burmese countries eastward: in the sub- 

 Himalayas, the forms of Europe and of W. 

 and N. Asia prevail more and more towards 

 the N- W. Malayaa forms eastward, and Chinese 



types, and particular sub-Himalayan genera 

 and species, the range of which extends east- 

 ward to (;hina. Again, on the highlands of 

 the Peninsula of India, and still again in those 

 of Ceylon distinct species of the northern types 

 occur, but no different genera. Thus the 

 jungle-fowl of N. India is replaced by a difl'er- 

 ent species ( Gallus Sonneratii) in the Penin- 

 sula, and by a third yG. Stanleiji) in Ceylon, 

 and not a few similar instances might be 

 adduced. Dr. G. Buist has mentioned that in 

 Bombay on the approach of the monsoon, 

 nearly all the Kites, Hawks, Vultures, and 

 other carrion birds disappear from the sea coast, 

 while tlie Crows begin to build their nests and 

 hatch their young just at the season that seems 

 most unsuitable for incubation, for the eggs are 

 often shaken out, or the nests themselves are 

 destroyed by the storms and the poor birds are 

 exposed, in the performance of their parental 

 duties, to all the violence and inclemency of 

 rain and tempest. At the instigation of a sure 

 and unerring instinct, the carnivorous birds, 

 as the rains approach, withdraw themselves 

 from a climate unsuitable to the habits of 

 tiieir yonng, betaking themselves to the com- 

 paratively dry air of the Dfkhan, where they 

 nestle and bring forth in comfort, and find 

 food and shelter for their little ones. The 

 scenes connected with this, which follow the 

 conclusion of the rains, are curious enough. 

 W^hile the mahomedans bury, and the himius 

 burn their dead, the Parsees expose their dead 

 in lari<e cylindrical roofless structures, called 

 Towers of" Silence, where birds of prey at all 

 times finii an abundant repast- Their family 

 cares and anxieties over for the season the car- 

 rion-birds, which had left in May for the Dek- 

 han, return in October to Bombay, and make 

 at once for the usual scenes of their fesiivities> 

 now stored with a three months' supply of un- 

 tasted food. As they appear in clouds ap- 

 proaching from the mainland, the Crows, un- 

 willing that their dominions should be invaded, 

 hasten in flocks to meet them, and a battle en- 

 sues in the air, loud, fierce and noisy ; the 

 flattering of the wings, the screaming and caw- 

 ing of the combaiants, resounding over the 

 island, till the larger birds succeed, and having 

 iiained the victory are suBered henceforth to 

 live in peace. In Bengal, the Kites and Bra- 

 mini Kites breed chiefly in January and Pe- 

 bruary, and disappear during the rains. The 

 adult ' Adjutants' make their appearance as 

 soon as the rains set in, and becoming in fine 

 plumage towards the close of the rains, depart 

 at that time to breed in the eastern portion of 

 the Sunderbuns upon lofty trees, and along the 

 eastern coast of the Bay of Bengal upon trees 

 and rocks. Vultures are permanently resi- 

 dent ; and the Crows propagate chiefly in 



