Natural History and the Indian Army
Natural History and the Indian Army

Author: J. C. Daniel

Publisher: Bombay Natural History Society

Published: 2009-12-10

Total Pages: 270

ISBN-13:

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This collection of articles by officers of the Indian Army records the contributions of the Army to natural history over a period of more than two hundred years. It builds on the premise that the study of the Indian subcontinent's natural history was more or less the exclusive preserve of these officers. Beginning with the fading years of the eighteenth century, the natural history-inclined officers of the Indian Army studied the flora and fauna, particularly the fauna, in their leisure hours and became experts on it. Their findings were recorded in various journals in the U.K., and after 1886 mainly in the Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society. A valuable feature of this book is a pamphlet (the twenty-fifth article in the collection) sent to the Indian Government by the Army through the Society by Lieutenant Colonel Burton, which drew the attention of the former to the dire need to conserve the country's wildlife, and in due course saw the formation of the Indian Board for Wildlife. The book is thus a tribute to this remarkable aspect of the Indian Army which, apart from fighting in the field, fought a battle to conserve the country's wonderful and almost incomparable natural heritage spread over a zoogeographical area over thirty degrees of latitude encompassing almost every type of climate met with in the world.

The Cuckoos
The Cuckoos

Author: Robert B. Payne

Publisher: Bird Families of the World

Published: 2005-07-14

Total Pages: 682

ISBN-13: 0198502133

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The Rhinoceros of South Asia
The Rhinoceros of South Asia

Author: Kees Rookmaaker

Publisher: BRILL

Published: 2024-06-12

Total Pages: 891

ISBN-13: 9004691545

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The rhinoceros is an iconic animal. Three species once inhabited South Asia, two of which disappeared over a century ago. This survey aims to reconstruct the historical distribution of these large mammals resulting in new maps showing the extent of their occurrences. Thousands of sources varied in time and nature are used to study the interactions between man and rhinoceros. The text is supported by over 700 illustrations and 38 maps showing the importance of the rhinoceros in the scientific and cultural fabric of Asia and beyond.

Indian Insects
Indian Insects

Author: S Ramani

Publisher: CRC Press

Published: 2019-10-16

Total Pages: 626

ISBN-13: 0429590075

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Insects are the most interesting and diverse group of organisms on earth, many of which are useful as pollinators of crops and wild plants while others are useful as natural enemies keeping pestiferous insects in check. It is important to conserve these insects for our survival and for this the diversity of insect species inhabiting the different ecosystems of our country must be known. The cornerstone to studies of any kind of organismal diversity is their taxonomic identity. Even after over two and half centuries of studies, so little is known of the insect wealth of our country. It has contributions from taxonomists who have been studying Indian insects for long, this book offers up to date information on many important groups of Indian insects seeking to fill the lacuna of a long felt need for a comprehensive work on the taxonomy of Indian insects. Salient features: Provides an up-to-date taxonomy of major insect groups of India Presents identification keys with illustrations of several important groups of Indian insects Gives a new insight into why insects are so abundant Addresses fundamental questions in mechanoreception and cross kingdom interactions using insects as model systems Indian Insects: Diversity and Science is a festschrift to Professor C. A. Viraktamath, an insect taxonomist par excellence. It has been designed to cater to the needs of academicians, researchers and students who wish to identify insects collected from local environments and will be an invaluable aid for those working in the areas of systematics, ecology, behaviour, diversity and the conservation of insects.