NOTES
F. stands for The Fauna of British India, and the number which follows indicates the number of the bird in The Fauna of British India. J. stands for Jerdon’s Birds of India, and the number that follows indicates the number of the bird in Jerdon’s work.
In describing a bird its size is a matter of importance as an aid to identification; but as the statement that a bird is six inches in length probably does not convey to the average person a definite idea of its size, I have adopted another system of indicating the size of each bird described. I have taken five standards of size, each being that of a familiar bird, and have described each species in terms of these standards, which are:
I. The common sparrow, 6 inches in length. II. The bulbul, 8-9 inches in length. III. The myna, 10 inches in length. IV. The Indian house crow, 17½ ins. in length. V. The kite, 23 inches in length.
My system is as follows. If A be a bird of which the length is 5 inches, I affix in a bracket -I, which means that is a bird smaller than a sparrow; if it be 6 inches in length I affix simply I; if it be 7 inches in length I affix +I, denoting that it is larger than a sparrow, but smaller than a bulbul, and nearer to the sparrow than the bulbul in dimensions; had its length been 7½ inches I should have described it as -II, i.e. rather smaller than a bulbul. By these means he who consults this book will at once be able to form a rough conception of the size of each species described. Those who desire more details will find them in The Fauna of British India. In this connection it is worthy of mention that certain small birds, as, for example, the adult cock paradise flycatcher, have very long tails. Such a bird, if measured from the tip of his beak to the end of his tail (as ornithologists usually do), would have to be described as -V, i.e. as a bird rather smaller than a kite, but this would convey a very misleading idea of the magnitude of the bird, the body of which is about the same size as that of the bulbul. I shall accordingly describe the paradise flycatcher as II, i.e. a bird of the same size as the bulbul, but shall note that the cock has a very long tail.
In cases where birds build very characteristic nests or have very characteristic songs or habits, I shall mention these as aids to identification. It must be remembered that this little book is not a natural history of birds, but merely a key to the identification of our commoner Indian feathered friends. Having identified a bird, the reader should refer to some other writer for information regarding its habits, etc.
In order to simplify identification I shall roughly indicate the distribution of each species. If nothing is said about the distribution of any bird this means that it may be found anywhere in the plains of India. If a species occurs in all parts save one or more the words “Not found in ——” will occur in the description. If the distribution be local, the description will contain the words “Found in ——.”
As a further aid to identification I have, in all cases in which a species has been figured in any book which is easily procurable, stated where the picture of the bird is to be found. Most stations in India boast of a library of sorts, which is likely to contain some, at any rate, of the books referred to. In order to save space I have used abbreviations for the titles. Thus (Illus. F. I., p. 298) means that a picture of the bird in question will be found on page 298 of Volume I of the bird volume of The Fauna of British India.
List of abbreviations used
B. B. The Common Birds of Bombay, by Eha. B. C. The Birds of Calcutta (2nd Edition), by Finn. B. D. Bombay Ducks, by Dewar. B. P. Birds of the Plains, by Dewar. F. I. Fauna of British India (Birds, Vol. I.). F. II. Ditto, ditto, Vol. II. F. III. Ditto, ditto, Vol. III. F. IV. Ditto, ditto, Vol. IV. G. B. Garden and Aviary Birds of India, by Finn. I. F. Some Indian Friends and Acquaintances, by Cunningham. I. D. Indian Ducks and Their Allies, by Stuart Baker. I. G. I. Game Birds of India, Burma, and Ceylon, Vol. I., Marshall and Hume. I. G. II. Ditto, ditto, ditto, Vol. II. I. G. III. Ditto, ditto, ditto, Vol. III.