ÆäÀÌÁö À̹ÌÁö
PDF
ePub

become yellowish by drying. It is found at Singapore, and also in the interior of Sumatra." The following is the ridiculous description of B. Lathami in Griffith's 'Animal Kingdom' (vii. 468), Greenish, quills dark; face and chin, brown." In Shaw's Zoology (ix. 28), the B. Lathami, or "Buff-faced Barbet" (Latham), is described sufficiently in accordance with the specimens before me, except that the beak is stated to be "covered with bristles at the base, which are longer than the bill itself [!] There is a specimen of this bird," it is added, "in the British Museum, native place unknown;" and a figure is given, perched on a full-grown tree no bigger than itself, which is worthy of the taste which placed it so. I subjoin a description of three specimens before me. The form belongs evidently to the distinct family of Barbets (Bucconidæ, Leach), and, as compared with the true Barbets, the beak differs in being more compressed, and in having a sharp upper ridge, which instead of becoming rounded off is still sharper and more elevate to the forehead, towards which it even rises to describe an obtuse angle in the outline; the inferior angle of the upper mandible is continued backward to beneath the eye, and that of the lower mandible to beyond the eye, combining thus with the raised vertical ridge to impart an appearance of great size to the beak; the tip also of the upper mandible is prolonged to overhang the lower one; the idrisse impending the bill are reduced to minute rudiments, but the frontal and coronal plumes have the shaft prolonged and spinous. In other respects, the external structure is essentially simiar to that of Bucco, except that the wings are rather less rounded, having the 3rd, 4th, 5th, and even 6th primaries sub-equal and longest, and the 2nd but little shorter than the 7th. Plumage of a glistening downy character on the under-parts, and colouring everywhere sombre, with some faint indications of brighter hues. Length about 6 inches; of wing 3 inches; and tail 2 inches: bill to forehead inch, to gape 14 inch; and tarse rather less than inch. Colour of the upper-parts Dearly uniform dusky-brown, deepest on the crown, and everywhere slightly edged with dull green; throat dingy-reddish, and under-parts glistening dull white, margined, together with the former, with yellowish green; there is also a ruddy cast on the forehead and cheeks. The beak of one specimen is nearly suffused with dusky-black, as characteristic of the male (according to Sir St. Raffles), while in the others it is pale corneous, tinged with brown at the base. Feet as described. Cuculus micropterus. Phænicophæus tristis.

Edolius affinis, Nobis, Jante, p. 160.

Lanius strigatus, Eyton, P. Z. S. 1839, 103; at least according with the Latin definition excepting that the head is concolorous with the rest of the upper parts, instead of being cinereous. It is evidently a bird in immature plumage, and the character upon which the specific name is founded would most assuredly disappear with maturity.

3 8

9

Muscipeta atriceps, Nobis. Very closely allied, it would appear, to M. Borbonica: length 7 inches, of wing 34, and tail 3 inches; bill to forehead above inch, and to gape 1 inch; tarse 16 inch; tail slightly rounded: crown and nape of the male deep glossy black; the sides of the head, neck and breast, dark ashy passing into glossy-black on the throat, and into paler ash on the lower part of the breast and flanks; the middle of the belly whitish, and vent and lower tail-coverts rufescent; the rest of the upper-parts bright rufo-ferruginous, dashed with ashy brown on the interscapularies, and all the wing feathers dusky within, edged with ferruginous. The female is rather smaller, her wing measuring but 3 inches, and tail 27 inches; upper-parts light olive-brown, tinged with greenish-ash on the crown and ear-coverts, the wings and tail as in the male; throat and breast pale rufescent, still lighter on the flanks and middle of the belly. The female before me appears to have been an older bird than the male, with colours more matured: her tertiaries and the outer webs of the nearest secondaries, are wholly rufous; while in the male the tertiaries have a dusky stripe along their middle, and the outer webs of all the secondaries are only rufousedged. I think it probable that the whole back of the male would become uniform bright rufous, and the throat, sides of the head, and fore-part of the neck, black like the crown.

Eurylaimus nasutus: Todus nasutus, Gmelin; Cimbyrynchus nasutus, Vigors; Eur. lemniscatus,

Raffles.

11 16

11
16

Prinia pileata, Nobis. This, again, appears to be an addition to the numerous species already established in this genus. Although the colouring is slightly different, the markings and disposi tion of the colours closely resemble those of Timalia pileata, Horsfield; the bill, however, being altogether different, or strictly sylvian, and scarcely at all laterally compressed. Size, also, inferior to that of T. pileata, and tail much less cuneated; length 5 inches, of wing 2 inches, and 9 tail 24 inches; bill to forehead inch, and to gape inch; tarse also inch. Plumage of the 16 upper-parts olive-brown, tinged with rufous on the wings and tail, which last is just perceptibly barred, and has its three outermost feathers only on each side graduated; crown dark rufous (as in T. pileata), but merging posteriorly into the brown of the rest of the upper-parts, there being no ashy on the sides of the neck; superciliary streak and the whole under-parts moderately bright pale yellow, marked with black lines on the throat and breast, more developed than those of Timalia pileata; flanks tinged with greenish-ashy. Bill dusky, and legs apparently have been greenish. Inhabits also Tenasserim.

Tricophorus crispiceps, Nobis. Length 10 or 11 inches, wing 4 to 4 inches, and tail 4 inches; bill to forehead to 1 inch, and to gape 1 to 14 inch, having three or four tolerably strong vibrissæ at the gape; tarse 1 inch: no lengthened occipital bristles, but the feathers of the crown and of the cheeks anterior to the ear-coverts, of very peculiar character, being short and rigid, glistening, and of a pale golden-fulvous colour; wings and tail dull olive-green, the former dusky on the inner webs of the feathers; rest of the upper-parts ashy-brown, laterally edged with greenish, having conspicuous whitish shafts to the feathers, excepting on the rump; under-parts similar, except that the whitish medial part of the feathers is more developed; throat white, flanked by a black line proceeding from the sides of the base of the lower mandible, and another black line passes from the upper mandible through the eye; lower tail-coverts deeply tinged with the same colour as the crown: tail slightly graduated; bill black, and legs plumbeous. This species is likewise found as high as Tenasserim.

Copsychus macrourus, the Shahmour, male and female.

C. saularis: found likewise in Sumatra and Java, as in India generally.
Vinago vernans, two specimens.

Hemipodius taigoor.

Vanellus bilobus.

Charadrius Virginianus.

Scolopax Gallinago.

I am, Sir, yours obediently,

ED. BLYTH

JOURNAL

OF THE

ASIATIC SOCIETY.

Notes on the Bendkar, a people of Keonjur. By LIEUT. S. R. TICKELL, Political Assistant, S. W. Frontier.

In the course of my last annual tour through the Kolehan district, (January and February 1842,) I came upon a set of people, whose names and history we have hitherto been quite ignorant of, (even within the Agency,) and whose existence I only then for the first time ascertained. They comprise one insulated clan or tribe, not above 250 or 300 in number, and call themselves "Bendkars." Their habits and manners, in restricting themselves entirely to hills, assimilate them to the Kurriahs, a people well known in the mountainous districts, east and west of the Kolehan, and to be met with also in Birbhoom; but they deny any affinity to, or even knowledge of, the latter.

The Bendkars inhabit a small range of hills, called Bendkar Booroo, in the north of Keonjur, and close to Jamdapeer, (the southern border of the Kolehan.) The country is exceedingly wild, being in fact one uninterrupted sea of jungle, bounded to the N. and N. E. by the cultirated lands and villages of the Hos in Kotegurh and Burpeer, but whose limits in other directions have not been, nor probably ever will be, defined. These people have no separate language, but converse either in the Ho or the Ooria dialect, as occasion offers. In appearance they are much the same as the Bhooians of that part of the country, tolerably fair, well-made, and not devoid of intelligence; although from the excessive seclusion of their lives, they may be pronounced purely savage. By sending one of my chuprassees, with money and fair speeches, I was able to induce five or six of them to come into my camp in Sarndapeer. They were minutely questioned respecting their manners, customs, &c. but these appear to offer nothing particularly worthy of notice, being similar to those of other Semi-Hindoo tribes, such as the Bhoomijes, Bhooians, Sontals, &c. They worship Kalee and several tutelar Deotas; eat neither beef nor pork, drink water from a Ho's hand; but will not eat with them, nor would they touch food cooked by any Hindoo, even a Bramin. They have neither cattle, goats, sheep, nor pigs; but some keep a few head of poultry. Their houses are mere hovels formed of branches, leaves, and thatched with jungle grass, these are not built together, so as to form a village, but are scattered by ones No. 123. NEW SERIES, No. 39.

2 E

and twos about the base of the hill. Except on some few festive occasions, such as marriages, their manners are solitary and unsociable, and the poverty and misery of their mode of living almost surpasses belief, it being a common custom for a family to leave their hut in the morning, and pick up their entire subsistence for the day by grubbing in the jungle for roots, berries, hay, leaves of some species of trees; and then return as night falls, like mere wild beasts to their dwellings. When their scanty crops of maize, goradhan, (coarse rice) chunna, (gram), &c. are ripe, they fare somewhat better, and are occasionally able to bring some of the produce of their fields down to the nearest villages to barter for cloth. Their mode of cultivation is miserable; they earth up the furrows and water courses on the hill sides, and thus form small straggling khets or fields, which are liable occasionally to be washed bodily away, and should the crop attain maturity, the poor Bendkar is obliged to share it liberally with the wild pigs, deer, pea-fowl, and a host of such marauders, who help themselves at night to it, with impunity.

These people are not required to pay rent in money or in kind; but at the requisition of the nearest Sirdar, the Keonjur Raja's Dewan at Kalkapershaud, they are liable to be called upon as bégars, or coolies, to assist in conveying the baggage of the Raja, or of any of his household in their annual visits to Juggernauth. These, a very_few, are acquainted with the use of money, but the majority neither know nor value it.

The party with me consisted of three men, an old woman, a girl, and a boy; the two latter were pretty. They had never seen a white face," nor indeed even a respectable or well-dressed native. They had never even heard the word " Saheb," nor knew its meaning. Every thing of course was therefore a novelty and a source of amazement ; the tents, horses, elephants, the sepoys and suwars with me, all attracted eager attention, not a little mixed with alarm. Only one of them had ever seen a gun fired off, and the grand exhibition of a bird shot while flying past, afforded great astonishment and delight. With all this ignorance, these poor people were pleasing in appearance, clean in person, and decorous in manner. They looked on quietly and demurely at every thing, and after a visit of two days, rather joyfully took their departure, not being, I suspect, quite satisfied of their safety while in my camp, although much re-assured by dint of gentle usage and kindness. The suwars with their bushy beards and long scarlet coats, appeared to afford them much uneasiness, and must have enforced on their minds greater awe and reverence than my less imposing costume!

They burn their dead, but do not collect the ashes, nor destroy any of the deceased's property with his body, (as the Koles do.) Their marriages are simple, being merely the bridegroom taking away his bride to his house, when the parents of both sides have consented, and have both added their quota to the stock supplied for the maintenance of the couple. No crimes (at least public crimes) appear to be known among this people, and they have no chief, or person possessing any kind of authority, to punish such. The smallness of their numbers, and

their confined locality is not satisfactorily accounted for, as they affirm they have been living on that hill alone for many generations. Nor to their knowledge, have their numbers been ever devastated by epidemic diseases. They are a perfectly peaceable race, never having been at issue with either Hos or Hindoos. They have arms, however, similar to those generally used in the country, which they employ in the chase.

The only specimen of their handicraft, which I procured from them, and which I beg, through you, to present to the Society, is the accompanying plough. It is used by the hand, as they have no cattle; and is capable, as may be seen, of merely scratching up the surface of the soil. It is not handled in the manner of a hoe, or fowra, but dragged or scraped along, as far as the sweep of the arm allows and it will be admitted, I think, that for barbarity, the instrument is unique.

NOTE.-The implement alluded to, is now in the Museum of the Asiatic Society. It is a rough hewn stick, nearly four feet long, which has been separated from the tree just below the off-shoot of a branch, at rather an acute angle with it, the off-shoot being cut down to about 10 inches long, and sharpened at the point, so as to take the ground like a rude pick axe: this is made more effective by an iron spike or peg, driven through the stick an inch or so above the off-shoot, and made to correspond in length with it. The cultivator using it, would, by dragging the implement towards him, have the soil, divided by the iron peg, and the furrow formed by the thicker substance of the off-shoot behind it.

Captain SHORTREEDE, in continuation of his Paper, p. 28, in No. 121 of this Journal.

1. In continuation of our researches regarding the spherical excess in terms of the two sides and the contained angle, we resume the expression tana tan b sin C 1 + tana tan b cos C

formely given tan } E =

which may be other

1

wise written tan } E = tan a tan 6 sin C (1 + tan a tan b cos

and the denominator within the parentheses may be expanded in the usual way.

2. For tana and tan § b substitute their values in arc to radius 1 by the

formula tan X = x +· x +

3 2 5 17

X'

15

[blocks in formation]

this expression and its powers being substituted in the expansion

x +

315

b b3 b5

17 67 +

39720

a2 + b2

+ &c. and we have tan a

240

+ &c.)

ab

2

-tan =
2

[ocr errors]

{

[blocks in formation]

40320

+ &c. }

« ÀÌÀü°è¼Ó »