Living Jewels from the Indian Jungle

Contents: Foreword/B.G. Deshmukh. Preface. Acknowledgements. 1. Discovery of Amherstia nobilis/Nathaniel Wallich. 2. The Glory Lily/K.R. Kirtikar. 3. Mass-flowering of "Karvi" Plants/J.S. Serrao. 4. Emperor Jahangir\'s Elephant hunt in the Panch Mahals/Manekshah S. Commissariat. 5. An elephant saves a Shikari from the jaws of a lion/Godfrey Charles Mundy. 6. The valley of Deyra Doon/Godfrey Charles Mundy. 7. When the tiger was king/T.C. Jerdon. 8. Antelope Hunt/Godfrey Charles Mundy. 9. The man-eater of Botta Singarum/H.A.L., The Old Shekarrey. 10. Man-eating tigers of Nagpore, Bansda, Toongar, and Jaunsar/Reginald Gilbert. 11. Pagal Kutta and a man-eating panther/George Hogan Knowles. 12. Newly born elephant calf saved from a hungry tigress/S. Eardley-Wilmot. 13. How the rhinoceros got his skin/Rudyard Kipling. 14. Notes from the Journal of the BNHS: i. Wounded bear charging up a tree. ii. A Day\'s sport in Berar. iii. Man-eating Panther of Seoni. iv. Man-eating Panther of Dangs. v. A Gaur attacking and killing a man. vi. Leopard cat in captivity. vii. The hunting leopard. viii. Porcupine\'s Mode of Attack. ix. Recovery after a bite by a Russell\'s Viper. x. Tigers in trees. xi. On the occurrence of tigers on the Islands of Bombay and Salsette. xii. How the female Dugong carries her young. xiii. Observations on the Indian Elephant. xiv. The duration of life of tigers. xv. Notes on Monitor Lizards. xvi. Cases of snake bite in Ahmednagar district. xvii. A carnivorous bear. xviii. Termite collecting in South India for food. xix. A panther with twenty claws. xx. Tiger kills Lioness in Mysore Zoo. xxi. How far can a tiger swim? xxii. Altitudinal limit of the Indian elephant. xxiii. Peculiar behaviour of the Darter. xxiv. Acacia thorn in the stomach of a toad. xxv. Animals "Shamming" Death. xxvi. Land leeches. 15. On nature\'s Trail: Biographical note on some pioneering naturalists in India. Bibliography. Sponsors. 

"This is the third in the BNHS series of books featuring paintings and drawings, articles and notes on Indian natural history, from rare sources in the library. The editors, encouraged by the success of Salim Ali\'s India (1996) and Treasures of Indian Wildlife (2005), have put together a fresh selection of writings that will excite, edify, and amuse the reader. While including some unique paintings of birds and mammals, the focus of the plates in this volume is Himalayan wild flowers--veritable jewels that will delight the eye, and classic works of art.

After a section of excerpts from books, and newspaper/journal articles, some of which illustrate the bloodthirsty field sports of previous centuries, the inimitable story of "How the Rhinoceros Got His Skin" provides a cosmic interlude. The second half of the book consists of gleanings from the Miscellaneous Notes section of back issues of the Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society, which provides interesting observations and accounts illustrating aspects of animal habits and behaviour.

This will be a valuable addition to the collection of any nature enthusiast, and along with the previous volumes makes a handsome set, providing hours of reading and visual pleasure." (jacket)