Indian natural history
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For information on the species found in India see Fauna and flora of India
This article explores the history and people involved in the study of natural history in India. Natural history is here restricted to the broad fields of paleontology, zoology and botany. The year 1970 is treated as the end for this period and subsequent works in natural history would be better treated under the field of ecology.
Although the growth of modern natural history in India can be attributed to British colonialism and the growth of natural history in Britain, there is considerable evidence to suggest that India with its diverse landscapes, fauna and flora along with other tropical colonies helped in creating an increased interest in natural history in Britain and elsewhere in world.[1] Natural history in India was also enriched by older traditions of conservation, folklore, nature study and the arts.[2]
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[edit] Vedic times
The vedas represent some of the oldest historical records available (1500 - 500 BC) and it lists the names of nearly 250 kinds of birds and also has notes on various other fauna and flora. A notable piece of information is the knowledge of brood parasitism in the Indian Koel, a habit known well ahead of Aristotle (384 – 322 BC). This is possibly because both the Indian Koel and its host the House Crow were common and easy to observe.
The elephant was another well studied wild animal and the capture, training and maintenance of elephants was documented in the 2000 year old text Gajashastra written in the Pāli script.[3]
[edit] Pre-Moghul
The Mohenjodaro clay tablets document many species of now locally extinct wildlife including Rhinoceros and Elephant.
Emperor Ashoka (304 – 232 BC) was perhaps the first ruler to advocate conservation measures for wildlife and even had rules inscribed in stone edicts.
[edit] Moghul period
The Moghul emperors not only led a leisurely life but also pursued gardening and art. They decorated their gardens with their private zoos and hired artists to paint many subjects including plants and animals. Hunting and falconry were also extensively practised. They also employed scribes and were among the first to document their observations of nature in India. The foremost of the observers were Jehangir (1569 – 1627) and Babur (1483 – 1530) (See also Baburnama).[4]
[edit] Pre-colonial
Hortus indicus malabaricus was the oldest regional flora for any part of the world and was published in India in the 1700's by the Dutch East India Company through the work of Hendrik van Rheede (1636-1691).
[edit] Colonial India
The Indian Civil Services brought many British naturalists to India. Some collected species on behalf of British and other European naturalists and museums, while others carried out their studies entirely on their own. Historians have linked the birth of museums to colonialism.[5][6] These massive collections and their documentation led to the production of numerous works including the Fauna of British India series.
The earliest effort to document the fauna of India was perhaps that of Thomas Hardwicke (1755 - 1835), a military officer in India who hired local artists to produce a huge collection of illustrations of Indian animals. This was subsequently studied by John Edward Gray (1800 - 1875) and led to the publication of Illustrations of Indian zoology: chiefly selected from the collection of Major-General Hardwicke and consisted of 202 colour plates.[7][8][9][10][11]
A large and growing number of naturalists with an interest in sharing observations led to the founding of the Bombay Natural History Society in 1883.[12]
During this era many Indian princes also took to large scale hunting and together with British hunters, many species of wildlife were hunted to near extinction while some species such as the Cheetah became extinct.
[edit] Paleontology
The study of geology was of great interest during the colonial period. Rich coal bearing seams, gold and other minerals became much sought after resources. This led to the formation of the Geological Survey of India, the first superintendent of which was Thomas Oldham (1816-1878). With his interest in fossils, especially after his discovery of Oldhamia, he took considerable interest in the paleontological aspects of India. He recruited Ferdinand Stoliczka to work on the Jurassic beds of Kutch. The work of this generation of geologists led to globally significant discoveries including support for continental drift and the idea of a Gondwana supercontinent.[13]
[edit] Birds
The study of birds in India during the colonial period began with hunting and it was only later that more careful observations were made. The army hunters often made notes on the birds that they shot and some of the more interesting species were skinned and sent back to museums in England for identification.
True ornithology began with Thomas C. Jerdon (1811 - 1872) in southern India and much later Allan Octavian Hume (1829-1912) who built an entire network of ornithologists in India. He also started the first ornithological journal for the region, Stray Feathers, in which he described new species and edited notes from contributors across the region.
The famous names in the ornithology of the Indian subcontinent during this era include Andrew Leith Adams (1827 - 1882), Edward Blyth (1810 - 1873), Edward Arthur Butler (1843 - 1916), Douglas Dewar (1875-1957), N F Frome (1899-1982) [14], Hugh Whistler (1889 - 1943), H. H. Godwin-Austen (1834 – 1923), Col. W. H. Sykes(1790-1872), C. M. Inglis (1870-1954), Frank Ludlow (1885-1972), E. C. Stuart Baker (1864 - 1944), Henry Edwin Barnes (1848-1896), F. N. Betts (1906- 1973), H. R. Baker, E. W. Oates (1845-1911), Ferdinand Stoliczka (1838-1874), Valentine Ball (1843 – 1894), W. T .Blanford (1832 – 1905), J. K. Stanford (1892-1971), Charles Swinhoe (1836 - 1923), Robert Swinhoe (1836 - 1877) , C. H. T. Marshall (1841 - 1927) , G. F. L. Marshall (1843 - 1934), R. S. P. Bates, James Franklin (1783 - 1834), Arthur Edward Osmaston (1885-1961), Bertram Beresford Osmaston (1868-1961), Wardlaw Ramsay (1852-1921) and Samuel Tickell (1811 - 1875). Several comprehensive works were written by Jerdon, Hume, Marshall and E. C. S. Baker. Popular works were also written by Frank Finn, Douglas Dewar and Hugh Whistler. Those who joined the Indian Civil Services in later years had access to these works and this period was mostly dominated by their short notes in journals published by organizations such as the BNHS, Asiatic Society and the BOU.
[edit] Mammals
Like the birds, the study of mammals was largely driven by hunters and for a while it was largely restricted to trophy hunting. It was perhaps R. C. Wroughton a forest officer who began a concerted study of the small mammals of India through the network of members of the Bombay Natural History Society that mammalogy in India began in real earnest. He was initially interested in Hymenoptera, especially ants and later scorpions. His interest in scorpions led him to R. I. Pocock. At the time, Pocock was in charge of the Arachnida although he was interested in mammals. Attempts to start a large scale collection effort did not take off. In 1904 Captain Glen Liston of the Indian Medical Service read a paper on Plague, Rats and Fleas in which he noted the lack of information on rodents. Another paper by Dr Hossack of the plague department appeared. This interest in plague suddenly enabled the BNHS to raise funds for collection of small mammals.[15] While hunters sent in many specimens for identification, there were a few who studied the habits of species in the wild. A major study of the rodents and bats was conducted by George Edward Dobson (1848-1895) a medical doctor by profession. Other notable mammalologists included Richard Lydekker, Robert Armitage Sterndale, Stanley Henry Prater (1890-1960) and Brian Houghton Hodgson (1800-1894).
Some work was also done on captive animals in the few zoos of the time. The foremost among these zoos was Alipore Zoological Gardens and significant work in captive breeding was done by the first superintendent of the zoo, Ram Brahma Sanyal (1858-1908).
[edit] Reptiles and Amphibians
The study of reptiles and amphibians were not as advanced as those of the mammals and birds. Only the poisonous reptiles were of some interest to the British army. Major contributions to the study of species and their distributions were made by Patrick Russell (1726-1805), the father of Indian ophiology, Colonel R. H. Beddome (1830-1911), Frank Wall (1868-1950) and H. S. Ferguson (1852-1921).
[edit] Invertebrates
The study of insects in India was initially restricted to the butterflies thanks to the collection craze back in England. A great number of collectors existed in the Army as well as the civil services. Sir Winston Churchill for instance made a small collection of 65 butterfly species during a short stint in Bangalore. [16] However entomology beyond butterfly collection gained importance due to the growing economic importance of agriculture. The position of an Imperial Entomologist was created at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute. Entomologists who left a mark include William Stephen Atkinson (1820-1876), T. R. Bell (1863-1948), E. Brunetti (1862-1927), Thomas Bainbrigge Fletcher (1878-1950), Sir George Hampson (1860-1936), G. M. Henry (1891-1983), Colonel C. T. Bingham (1848–1908), William Monad Crawford (1872–1941), W. H. Evans, Michael Lloyd Ferrar, Harold Maxwell-Lefroy (1877-1925), Frederic Moore (1830-1907), Lionel de Niceville (1852-1901), Ronald A. Senior-White ( 1891-1954), Edwin Felix Thomas Atkinson (1840-1890) and Charles Swinhoe (1836-1923). With forests being of major economic value, there was an interest in forest entomology. Forest entomology started with E. P. Stebbing (1906-1909) and he was followed by many including A. D. Imms (1880-1949), who is better known for his entomology textbook that continues with new revisions to remain a standard reference. Other entomologists associated with forest entomology included C. F. C. Beeson. Malaria was a widespread disease and studies on mosquitoes gained special importance. Ronald Ross (1857 – 1932) established the link between mosquitoes and malaria during his researches when positioned at Bangalore, Ootacamund and Secunderabad. Sir S. R. Christophers (1873 - 1978) pioneered in the study of mosquitoes and was involved in the creation of the Malaria Survey of India. Others involved in this field included J. A. Sinton (1884–1956).
[edit] Fish
The study of fish in India was also initially restricted to that which was of commercial value. Sport fishing was also popular but restricted to major hill areas. Not much is documented of the sport fishing beyond record catches reported in the Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society. Notable publications on the fishes of India were made by Sir Francis Day (1829-1889) and Francis Buchanan-Hamilton (1762 - 1829).
[edit] Flora and Forests
The forests of India were some of the richest resources in the British colonies. The value of forests was realized very early and forest management was introduced early on the sub-continent. Forest management was primarily aimed at the production of commercial products such as teak timber. The post of a conservationist was created and this term was related to the patches of forests that they managed, called conservancies, and was not related to biodiversity conservation. Even today, vast tracts of Indian forests are covered with teak plantations, low in biodiversity and seasonally ravaged by forest fires. The first foresters in India were highly influenced by forest management in Germany and many forest officers in India were trained in the German school of thought brought into India by Dietrich Brandis (1824-1907)-the father of tropical forestry.[17] Numerous officers in the Indian Forest service added information on the flora of India. Several amateurs also worked alongside from other civil services and they were assisted by professional botanists such as Joseph Dalton Hooker (1817-1911), John Gerard Koenig (1728-1785), Robert Wight (1796–1872)[18], Nathaniel Wallich (1786-1854) and William Roxburgh (1751-1815). Another area of interest was the introduction of plants of economic importance to India. Many of these introductions were tried in botanical gardens at Sibpur, Poona, Madras and Saharanpur. The Chinese monopoly on tea was ended when tea was introduced in Darjeeling and Sri Lanka through the work of Robert Fortune (1812 - 1880). The botanical garden at Sibpur in Calcutta was started in 1787 by Col. Robert Kyd (1746–1793). Sir George King (1840-1904) who was in charge of the garden from 1871 was instrumental in the creation of a herbarium at the garden and founded the Botanical Survey of India in 1890. Later botanical workers include the paleobotanist Birbal Sahni (1891-1949).
Some of the other prominent names associated with botany and forests of India include Ethelbert Blatter (1877—1934), T. F. Bourdillon, H. G. Champion, F. W. Champion (Deputy Conservator of Forests, United Provinces), A. A. Dunbar-Brander (conservator of forests in the Central Provinces), Sir Walter Elliot (1803-1887), Thomas Henry-Colebrooke, Charles McCann (1899-1980), Hugh Falconer( 1808–1865) , William Griffith, David Prain, J. F. Duthie, P. D. Stracey, R. Strachey, J. E. Winterbottom, W. Moorcroft and J.F. Royle. Naturalists associated with the Bombay Natural History Society like W. S. Millard (1864-1952) helped popularize the study of trees with books such as Some Beautiful Indian Trees (coauthored with Ethelbert Blatter).
Several herbaria were created during this time and one of the largest and still surviving ones is the Blatter Herbarium.
[edit] Hunter-Naturalists
Hunting was a way of life in colonial India and people from different walks of life wrote about their hunts and their observations in the wild. Many of them were talented writers who left behind their hunting lore in various publications. These include Kenneth Anderson (1910-1974) in southern India, F. M. Bailey (1882-1967) in Tibet and along the Himalayas, Jim Corbett (1875–1955) in the foothills of the Himalayas, R. C. Morris (1894-1977) in the Biligirirangan Hills and George P. Sanderson in central India. Lieutenant Colonel R. W. Burton along with Colonel R. C. Morris, later became involved in conservation and participated in the early discussions of the Indian Board for Wildlife. There were also much travelled hunters like Richard Meinertzhagen (1878-1967) who contributed to various other fields such as ornithology. Numerous other hunters wrote to the BNHS journal and not all of their observations were accurate.
[edit] Travelling naturalists and collectors
India was on the route for explorers and travellers in the region and many collectors from different countries travelled through India. These include such naturalists as Pierre Sonnerat (1748–1814), Jean Baptiste Leschenault de la Tour (1773-1826) , Jean de Thévenot (1633–1667) and Frank Kingdon-Ward (1885-1958).
[edit] Popularizers
There were a few naturalists who were especially gifted writers and made the study of natural history immensely more popular. The foremost among these writers was Edward Hamilton Aitken (1851-1909) who wrote under the pen name of EHA. The novelist Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936) also captured the imagination of many with The Jungle Book.
 Edward Hamilton Aitken (1851-1909) |
[edit] Museum workers
Several museums were started in India including one at the Asiatic Society in Calcutta. There were also many who worked in the British Museum in London and received specimens collected from India. They made significant contributions by their publications. Edward Blyth (1810 - 1873) and Nelson Annandale (1876-1924) made great contributions working out of the Asiatic Society while Sir Norman Boyd Kinnear (1882-1957) worked at the BNHS. Other notable museum curators and workers include Alfred William Alcock (1859-1933), John Anderson (1833–1900), George Albert Boulenger (1858-1937), W. L. Distant (1845-1922), Frederick Henry Gravely (1885-?), (John Gould (1804–1881), Albert C. L. G. Günther (1830-1914), Frank Finn (1868-1932), Charles McFarlane Inglis (1870-1954), James Wood-Mason (1846 – 1893), Reginald Innes Pocock (1863-1947), Richard Bowdler Sharpe (1847-1909), Malcolm A. Smith (1875 - 1958) and Nathaniel Wallich (1786-1854).
[edit] Post-Independence (1947-1970)
[edit] Ornithologists
Post independence ornithology was dominated by Salim Ali and his cousin Humayun Abdulali who worked with the Bombay Natural History Society. Salim Ali worked with American collaborators like Sidney Dillon Ripley and Walter Norman Koelz to produce what is still the most comprehensive handbook of Indian ornithology. Another major contribution was the introduction of field ornithology and pioneers included Horace Alexander. The Zoological Survey of India also conducted its own collection surveys and they were led by Biswamoy Biswas. Eastern India and Burma was covered by ornithologists like Bertram E. Smythies.[19]
[edit] Entomologists
The tradition of entomology started in the colonial era continued with numerous entomologists especially specializing on economically important insects (mostly pests). Notable entomologists of this era include M. S. Mani and B. K. Tikader. The latter contributed greatly to Indian arachnology.
[edit] Ichthyologists
One of the foremost ichthyologist of India was Sunderlal Hora, famous for his Satpura hypothesis a biogeographical hypothesis based on his observations on the adaptations of hill stream fishes. Other prominent ichthyologists included C. V. Kulkarni and S. B. Setna.
[edit] Herpetologists
C. R. Narayan Rao worked on the frogs of southern India. Romulus Whitaker and J. C. Daniel studied various aspects of the reptile fauna of India.
[edit] Scientists from other disciplines
A large number of scientists from various other fields contributed to the study of plants and animals in India. Among these were some who worked in interdisciplinary areas. Foremost among these was J. B. S. Haldane, the British scientist who encouraged field biology in India on the basis that it was useful while at the same time requiring low investment unlike other branches of science. He was among the first to popularize quantitative approaches to biology in India.
[edit] Popularizers
Natural history in India was made more popular through publications in the mass media. In southern India M. Krishnan who was a pioneering black-and-white wildlife photographer and artist wrote articles on various aspects of natural history in Tamil and English. His articles were well illustrated with his photographs and artwork. He wrote in a humorous style much like that of EHA before him. Professor K. K. Neelakantan was another writer who popularized the study of birds in Kerala by writing books and articles in Malayalam. Others like Harry Miller wrote in English in the local newspapers. Some others like Ruskin Bond wrote about the wilderness, the hills and the wildlife in a more romantic style. Zafar Futehally started the first birdwatchers' newsletter in the 1950s and this helped network the birdwatcher community spread across India.
Wildlife photography has also helped in popularizing natural history. Numerous photographers have contributed to this and prominent names include Loke Wan Tho, E. Hanumantha Rao, M. Krishnan and T. N. A. Perumal. They followed in the footsteps of the early pioneers of photography such as E. H. N. Lowther, O. C. Edwards and F. W. Champion. [20]
[edit] Conservationists
In the post-independence era the urgent need to preserve the little remaining wildlife was realized by the politicians of the time. Conservationists of fame included E. P. Gee (1904-1968) who worked on the Indian Board of Wildlife. In later times, large numbers of people became involved in conservation and its various aspects - scientific, social, legal and political. (See also Conservation movement)
[edit] References
- ^ Schiebinger, Londa and Claudia Swan (Eds.) 2004 Colonial Botany Science, Commerce, and Politics in the Early Modern World. 352 pages. University of Pennsylvania
- ^ Archer, Mildred & W. G. Archer (1955) Natural history paintings. In Indian painting for the British 1770-1880, pp. 91-98. Oxford, Oxford University Press.
- ^ Kramrisch, S. The representation of nature in early Buddhist sculpture. Rupam 8. 1921.
- ^ Blunt, Wilfrid. 1948. The Mughal painters of natural history. Burlington magazine 90 (539): 49-50.
- ^ Barringer, T. and Flynn, T. (eds) (1988) Colonialism and the Object: Empire, Material Culture and the Museum, Museum Meaning Series, London: Routledge.
- ^ Bennett, T. (1995) The Birth of the Museum: History, Theory, Politics, London: Routledge.
- ^ Irwin, John. 1952. A note on the two reproductions [paintings of birds by Ustad Mansur and an unknown artist of ca. 1790]. Marg 5 (4): 35-36
- ^ Noltie, H..J. (1999) Indian botanical drawings 1793-1868 from the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh : Edinburgh. 100pp.
- ^ White, J. J. and Farole, A. M. (1994) Natural history paintings from Rajasthan Catalogue of an exhibition 17 November 1994 to 24 February 1995. Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation, Carnegie-Mellon University, Pittsburgh. 43pp.
- ^ Noltie, H. J. (2002) The Dapuri drawings : Alexander Gibson and The Bombay Botanic Gardens. The Antique Collectors Club in association with the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. 240pp.
- ^ Mehta, Nanalal C. 1926. "Some floral studies." In: Studies in Indian painting: A survey of some new material ranging from the commencement of the VIIth century to circa 1870 A.D., pp. 75-84. Bombay, D. B. Taraporevala Sons & Co.
- ^ Newton, Paul & Matt Ridley. Biology under the Raj. New Scientist. (22 September 1983) pp. 857-867
- ^ Patrick N. Wyse Jackson, 2005 Thomas Oldham. Earth Sciences 2000 Issue 12 [1]
- ^ Frome, N F. (1922-1969) Notes on birds seen in India, in the British Isles, and elsewhere.
- ^ Kinnear, N. B. () The history of Indian Mammalogy and Ornithology. JBNHS 50
- ^ Guha, Ramachandra 2003. Churchill in Bangalore. The Hindu, Sunday December 21, 2003.[2]
- ^ Barton, Gregory Allen (2002) Empire Forestry and the Origins of Environmentalism. Cambridge University Press ISBN 0-521-81417-0
- ^ Catalogue of Wight drawings. Accessed October 2006 [3]
- ^ Kinnear, N.B. (1952) The history of Indian mammalogy and ornithology. Part II. Birds. J. Bombay. Nat. Hist. Soc. 51(1): 104-110
- ^ Bates, R. S. P., & E. H. N. Lowther. 1952. The history of bird photography in India. Journal, Bombay natural history society 50:779-784
