I am not able to give an exhaustive list of all the species which, although absent this season, have been regular visitants in preceding ones; but having known the district for six years, and having collected vigorously for two season, I will attempt to contrast as accurately as I can the past with the preceding season.
The tract I refer to is a narrow strip of lowland lying between the Western Ghats and the sea, and extending from Bankot, or Fort Victoria on the north, to Ratnagiri on the south, in length about seventy miles, and with a breadth varying from thirty-five to forty-five miles. The whole country is rugged and broken, more open and undulating towards the Ghats, and subsiding near the coast into a series of plateaus capped with weather-stained laterite, and intersected by deeply- cured ravines and valleys.
There are three principal rivers-the Savitri, the Vashishti and the Shastri-which are tidal and navigable for some twenty miles or more into the interior, besides innumerable smaller creeks, bays and back waters. The estuaries and tidal sections of the larger rivers and creeks are fringed with extensive mud flats, salt marshes, and mangrove swamps, with here and there patches of reclaimed rice land.
The average rainfall for the last twenty-eight years has been, as recorded at Ratnagiri on the coast, 101.49 inches, and the fall for 1878 was 168.66, being by many inches the highest on record. Generally speaking, the rainfall increases gradually from the coast to the Sahyadri range, the only exception to this rule being one or two isolated hills of considerable elevation near the coast, which show a higher average than stations at the foot of the Ghats.
The relative humidity, of the district is shown by the meteorological returns, as might be expected to be greater than that of any other tract, excepting other parts of the Konkan, in the Bombay Presidency.
In ordinary years the South Konkan is visited during the cold weather by a considerable variety of waders and aquatic birds. The numerous lagoons and swamps, the mud banks of the rivers, and the large inundated area of paddy fields offering to birds of these orders irresistible attractions, and a seemingly inexhaustible supply of tempting food. In particular a favourite ground may be mentioned at the junction of the Vashishti and Tagburi rivers. Here, year after year, are seen large flocks of Widgeon, often five hundred or more together, and a sprinkling of other ducks, besides countless Egrets, Herons, Cormorants, Snake Birds, Ibis, Plovers and Sandpipers. On one occasion I have obtained on this ground in one morning, Cotton teal (Nettopus coromandelianus, Whistling Teal (Dendrocygna javanica), Gadwall (Chaulelasmus streperus), Pintail (Dafila acuta), Widgeon (Mareca penelope), Common Teal (Querquedula crecca), and Garganey Teal (Querquedula circia). I visited this ground on three occasions this season, in November, December and January, in the full expectation of having more than ordinarily good sport, But notwithstanding the abnormal rainfall, not a single Widgeon was to be seen. On the first two occasions no duck of any description were found, but by January a small flock of three or four European Teal had made their appearance, and had the whole ground to themselves. Similarly with the waders, there was a very marked diminution in the number of Egrets and Herons. Here and there at long intervals a solitary White Heron, conspicuous in his loneliness, moped on the banks, disconsolate. Greenshank, Red-shank, Golden Plover and Sand Plover, usually plentiful, were nowhere, and even the common little Sandpiper, the very commonest species in the district, was so sparingly seen as to be almost a rarity. Even the Cormorants were affected by the general desolation, and the White Ibis, who generally come in moderately large flocks, were represented by a few unhappy looking individuals, who hid their diminished heads in the reeds, and looked as if they were sorry they had come. It was as if an annual 'jatra' had been stopped by Imperial edict, and the few who had braved the prohibition and reached the trysting place were afraid to show themselves. So with the snipe. In 1877, after a rainfall 87.91 inches-considerably below the average-we had a splendid snipe year. Common and Pintails were equally abundant throughout the district. In 1878, after a fall of 168.66 inches, nearly double that of the preceding year, we have had, as has been the general remark, an exceptionally poor year. Flamingoes, who had visited Ratnagiri in 1877, put in no appearance in 1878.
In February and March 1877, I was camped for some six weeks at the mouth
of a small tidal creek, at a village called Kelsi. I obtained or saw the following
species of shore and water birds, cold-weather visitants only in this locality:-
Golden Plover (Charadrius fulvus) plentiful; Sand Plover (Aegialitis mongolicus)
very plentiful; Oyster Catcher (Haematopus ostralegus) scarce; Pintail Snipe
(Gallinago sthenura) plentiful; Common Snipe (Gallinago gallinaria) plentiful;
Jack Snipe (Gallinago gallinula) scarce; Curlew (Numenius lineatus) common;
Whimbrel (Numenius lineatus) common; Spotted Sandpiper (Rhyacophila glareola)
scarce; Green Sand piper (Totanus ochropus) scarce; Common Sandpiper (Tringoides
hypoleucus) abundant; Greenshank (Totanus glottis) plentiful; Red-shank (Totanus
calidris) plentiful; Stilt (Himantopus candidus) rare; White-necked Stork
(Dissura episcopa) scarce; Grey heron (Ardea cinerea) scarce; Purple Heron
(Ardea purpurea) scarce; Lesser White Heron (Herodias torra) common; Little
egret (Herodias garzetta) abundant; Ashy Egret (Demiegretta gularis) common;
Shoveller (Spatula clypeata) one small flock; common Teal (Querquedula Crecca)
one or two considerable flocks; Little Cormorant (Phalaorocorax pygmaeus)
common; and Snake Birds (Plotus melanogaster) common.
I have omitted from the above list the common permament esidents, such as the Green Bittern and Pond Heron, Cattle egrets, Rails and Waterhens.
I re-visited the same place in February 1879, spending about a fortnight
there. The change was most marked. The following species recorded in the previous
year, I missed altogether from their accustomed haunts :-
Golden Plover, Lesser Sand Plover, Jack Snipe, Curlew, Whimbrel, Stilt, Purple
Heron, Shoveller, and Common Teal; a few Golden Plover, Sand Plover and a
very few Teal have, however, been got during the season in other localities.
Common and Pintail Snipe, Greenshank, Redshank, the three Pipers, Grey Herons,
White Herons, Little Egrets, Ashy Egrets, Cormorants, and Snake Birds were
all quite scarce. I saw one solitary and wily Oyster Catcher, who fell a victim
to a choke barrel at a long range. Ill-natured people might perhaps account
for this dearth of birds by the fact that I had made too good use of my time
at this particular place during the preceding year. To this I answer that,
excluding Snipe and Golden Plover, my collection of the previous year from
this spot numbered only eighty speci-mens, including numerous raptores, insessores
and rasores. Besides the same diminution has been observed by myself and others
throughout the district.
Another fact worth mentioning occurs to me: In 1877, during the cold weather,
very large flocks of the Ashy Ringdove (Turtur risoria) made their appearance
in the northern portion of the district. Not being permanent residents, or
ordinary visitors, their advent from the country above the Ghats was a marked
event. This year, as far as I can ascertain, not a single bird was seen. On
the other hand, the migratory warblers were well represented, and the Rosy
Pastor, or Towari bird, who doesn't usually come in force, preferring the
fat plains of the Deccan, was exceptionally abundant.
What is the true solution of this state of things? Was it that the rainfall
of the year being everywhere proportionately heavy, and the general area of
inundated land consequently greater, our shore and water birds, finding suitable
feeding grounds there, were detained further north, and had no necessity to
continue their migration southward? I incline to this view myself, but shall
be glad to hear any other solution to this question.