Jungle Folk

by Douglas Dewar

An eye-opening, intriguing and original account of Indian birds.

'You will find no lack of superlatives among our Indian birds' writes Douglas Dewar in this superb and idiosyncratic book about some of the most interesting birds to be found in the country. From the common crow, 'splendid in sagacity, resource, adaptiveness, boldness, cunning and depravity, a Machiavelli, a Shakespeare among birds, a super-bird' to the scavenger vulture, 'the ugliest bird in the world', wagtails 'who dress most tastefully', 'mad babblers', 'upright cuckoos', the night heron which 'only sleeps when it has nothing better to do', hawks 'the bandits of the air', the drongo, who 'is the embodiment of pluck' and dozens of other species, well-known and rare, Jungle Folk will make you see our birds in new and arresting ways. In his closely observed sketches, the legendary naturalist explores in detail every significant element of the bird in question including anatomy, physiology, behaviour, lifestyle and habitat.

Intended for the amateur naturalist as well as the serious ornithologist, this is an eye-opening, intriguing and original account of Indian birds.

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1912

About the author

Douglas Dewar (1875–1957) was a barrister, British civil servant in India, and ornithologist who wrote several books about Indian birds. He wrote widely in newspapers such as The Madras Mail, Pioneer, Times of India and periodicals such as the Civil and Military Gazette and Bird Notes

Reviews

[Gorab · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was expecting more anecdotes and personal experiences. Which are only a few.
Felt like a textbook on birds with basic sketches. Even the sketches don't look like sketches at all. And they ceased to exist after first few pages.

Verdict: Avoid.
Better to read the index, and grab wiki of each.

[Ankur · Rating 2 out of 5]

Compared to Gerald Durrell's books, which is my gold standard for writings related to nature, I found this dull and laborious to read. The author sometimes shoots games for sport or for the table, which is a quality I find difficult to reconcile in a naturalist (can make an exception for Jim). He also seemed to harbour a significant contempt for the natives and some of his peers. I am glad it's over.

[Anita Pramod · Rating 4 out of 5]

Missed color photos of the birds initially. Probably because the first edition of the book was published in 1912. The author's rich and colourful description however makes up for the initial regret. A very enjoyable read indeed.

[Disha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Its refreshing to read the thoughts and descriptions of an ornithologist from the colonial era. Couple of politically incorrect analogies and metaphors aside, I found the content engaging. Remarkable that many of his observations still hold even after drastic climate changes, while some are sadly not true anymore. #biodiversity