topics: |  birds | zoology | india

this is THE book that Indian bird-watchers have traditionally grown up
with.  this low-cost edition is hardcover, with a jacket and details of the
appearance and behaviour of each bird.

i became a bird-watcher after a hoopoe visited the balcony of my guest
house room, within a few days of joining iit kanpur.  soon enough, i got a
copy so i could check out the various colourful forms of nature's art.
over 200 species of birds stay here or visit each year, and notable birders
who have visited campus include raman athreya, who used to work here in the
80s.  salim ali had also visited in the early years.

My copy of this older (eleventh) edition is well-thumbed and marginally
consumed by termites from an attack in the late 90s.  Nonetheless, it
remains steadfast on the shelf; sometimes i go through it if only for the
various sightings pencilled-in on the end-flaps.