BIRDS OF EASTERN AND SOUTHERN ASIA. 



are able to say whether eggs be in the mound 

 and they rob them eagerly. It is said that a 

 number of these birds unite to make a mound 

 and lay their eggs in it, and 40 or 50 eggs are 

 found in one heap. The mounds are found in 

 dense thickets. The species of the Megapodidse 

 in Lombok is as large as a hen, and entirely of 

 a dark hue with brown tints. It eats fallen 

 fruits, earth-worms, snails, and centipedes, but 

 the flesh is white and well flavoured when pro- 

 perly cooked. — (Wallace, p. 15<o.) 



In winter, many Indian birds assemble in large 

 flocks. Amongst these are crows, starlings, 

 finches, larks, parrots, a few thrushes, pigeons, 

 rock pigeons, cranes, ducks, flamingoes and 

 pelicans. Birds are chiefly guided by instinct. 



The migratory birds of India are mostly 

 residents of the colder northern countries ; they 

 come to India in September and October and 

 leave it again, in March, April and May. 

 Among the grallatores or waders, some cranes 

 and storks, four-fifths of the ducks, and the great 

 majority of the scolopacidge breed in the north 

 and come to India in the cold season. The 

 peregrine falcon, the true hobby, the kestrel, 

 the British sparrov<f hawk, all the Indian har- 

 riers and the short-eared owl are true mi- 

 gratory birds. Amongst the insessores, the 

 wagtails, some of the pipits and larks, stone- 

 chats, several warblers, and thrushes, buntings 

 and the shrike, hoopoe and two starlings are 

 the chief groups amongst which migratory birds 

 occur. In Lower Bengal, kites quit Calcutta 

 and neighbourhood during the rains and return 

 in the cold weather, it is supposed that they 

 go the N. East. The kestrel, baza and Indian 

 hobby are most frequent in Bengal during the 

 rains, and in the rains, the Adjutant visits Cal- 

 cutta and leaves in the cold v/eather. The 

 European quail is the only real migratory bird of 

 the gallinacese, but some other quails, bustard- 

 quails and rock partridges, Pteroclidse, wander 

 about to different localities, and the Otis aurita, 

 Ardea bubulcus, some rails, terns and gulls 

 also wander. These birds travel with wonder- 

 ful instinct direct to their homes, returning year 

 after year to the same spot, often to the same 

 nest. The song of birds is chiefly observed 

 amongst the Merulidse, Saxicolinge, Sylviadas, 

 larks and some finches. In India there are 

 few songsters in the groves, but some of the 

 larks are kept in cages. Quails, bulbuls and 

 cocks are trained to fight, falcons and hawks 

 to himt on the wing and pelicans and cormo- 

 rants to fish. 



In the 55th No. of the Calcutta Eeview, it is 

 remarked that " few persoMS, other than pro- 

 fessed zoologists, have an idea of the extent 

 to which the feathered inhabitants of the 

 British islands are found in Southern Asia, 

 identically the same in species. In general, so 



limited are the opportunities which an ordinary 

 Indian life allows for field observation, that the 

 only familiar reminiscence of home which a Eu- 

 ropean sojourner in the plains of India will re- 

 call to mind, among the feathered tribes of this 

 country, is aff'orded by the pretty, little, clean- 

 looking, sprightly Water Wagtail, usually the 

 first and most welcome harbinger of the coming 

 cold weather, and remaining with us so abund- 

 antly whilst the cold season lasts. This bird, 

 and the harsh chattering of a very common kind 

 of shrike (Lanius superciliosus) in Indian gar- 

 dens, are regularly the earliest intimations that 

 most of us receive of the coming change of sea- 

 son ; but a snipe (Gallinago stenuya) precedes 

 them which, (though few sportsmendiscriminate 

 it from the common British snipe, makes its 

 appearance somewhat later,) is nevertheless a 

 different bird, at once distinguished by having 

 a set of curious pin feathers on each side of its 

 tail, whereas the British snipe, (which is equally 

 abundant with us) has a broad fan-shaped tail, 

 as unlike that of the other as can well be. The 

 pin-tailed is the common snipe of the Malay 

 countries and is unknown in Europe, except- 

 ing as an exceedingly rare straggler from its 

 proper habitat the East. But the snipe is un- 

 observed save by the many who delight in ex- 

 ercising their skill in shooting it, or who won- 

 der to see it so soon in the provision-bazar ; 

 and our little piebald friend the water wagtail, 

 in its season, and the common sparrow, at all 

 seasons, so abundant as to be overlooked and 

 forgotten, are probably all that the European 

 reader, unversed in the study of ornithology, 

 will be able to recall to mind, as yielding asso- 

 ciations of home ; unless, perchance, he may also 

 recollect the common small Kingfisher of India, 

 which differs from the British bird only in its 

 more diminutive size. A writer has describe 

 ed the feelings of delight expressed by one 

 who had been many years in India, at seeing, 

 upon his return to his native land, the Sky Lark 

 rise from the sod at his feet, and mount higher, 

 and still higher, till reduced to a mere speck in 

 the heavens, or utterly lost to view, all the while 

 making the air ring with its music. Had he 

 ventured forth into the fields of any part of 

 India, he would have seen and heard the very 

 same ; although the species (Alauda malabarica) 

 is difl'erent, and may be somewhat inferior to 

 the European sky lark in song, so far at least 

 as regards variety in the notes ; but there is 

 really so very little difference, that the two 

 birds could assuredly not be distinguished 

 by the voice alone, nor by the mode of flight. 

 If examined, the common Indian lark may be 

 described as resembling the European Wood 

 Lark in size and shape, with the plumage of the 

 Sky Lark. It may, indeed, be remarked that 

 even the pied wagtails of India (Motacilla 



