Volume 2

The cyclopædia of India and of Eastern and Southern Asia : commercial, industrial and scientific, products of the mineral, vegetable, and animal kingdoms, useful arts and manufactures / by Edward Balfour.

  • Balfour, Edward, 1813-1889.
Date:
1885
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The cyclopædia of India and of Eastern and Southern Asia : commercial, industrial and scientific, products of the mineral, vegetable, and animal kingdoms, useful arts and manufactures / by Edward Balfour. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    16/1140 (page 8)
    The black-capped purple kingfisher; is rare in India, but more common in the countries east- wards to China. Halcyon Coromandelianus, Scop. H. Coromandel., Blyth. I H. lilacina, Sio. H. calipyga, Hodgs. \ H. Schlegelii, Bonap. The ruddy kingfisher of the Himalaya, Nepal, Sikkim, and the east coast of the Bay of Bengal. Besides these, are H. cyaniventris from Java, H. concreta from Sumatra, H. pulehella from Malacca and S. Tenasserim. Todiramphus collaris, Scopoli. A. chlorocephala, Gm. \ A. sacra, Gm. The white-collared kingfisher of the Sunder- buns, Arakan, Tenasserim, Malayana, and Archi- pelago. Its feathers are largely prized by the Chinese, who buy the skins at 24 for a dollar. There are other species in the Nicobars and Archipelago. Ceyx tridactyla, Pallas. A. erythica, Pall. | A. purpurea, Gmel. The three-toed purple kingfisher, is found in Sikkim, Malayana, and the islands. Sub-Fam. Alcedininse. Alcedo Bengalensis, Gm., common Indian king- fisher. Alcedo euryzona, Temm., great Indian king- fisher. Several species occur east of the Bay of Bengal, viz. A. Beryllina from Java, A. Moluccensis from Moluccas, A. Meningting of Java. Ceryle rudes, Linn. Ispidia bicincta, Siv. | I. bitorquata, Sw. Karikata, . . . Beng. | Korayala kilkila, Hind. Phutka-match-ranga, ,, The pied kingfisher ; occurs in Africa and most parts of South Asia and south of Europe. Ceryle guttata, Vigors. Matchi bag, Hind. | Ung kashiya, Lep. The large-crested black and white kingfisher, is a native of the Himalaya.—Jerdon, i. pp. 221-235. HALDA or Harda, Hind., is a mildew affect- ing the cerealia, in which the plant turns yellow and withers. HALDA or Haldi. Hind. Among Mahomedans, the ceremony of smearing a couple with turmeric between the period of their betrothal and marriage. HALDAR or Holdar, a name borne by some Bengal families of the trading castes.— Wilson. HALDIA MOORA and Singia moora are roots brought to Ajmir mixed with haldi; they are acrid and poisonous, and are carefully separated. Genl. Med. Top. p. 151. HALEBID, a village in the Hassan district, Mysore, lat. 13° 12' 20 N., long. 76° 2' E.; popu- lation (1871), 1207 ; the site of the ancient city of Dorasamudra or Dvaravatipura, the capital of the Hoysala Ballala dynasty. It was apparently rebuilt in the 13th century by King Vira Somes- wara. To him is assigned the erection there of two magnificent temples in honour of Siva, which rank among the masterpieces of Hindu art. The larger, Haisaleswara, rises 25 feet high above the terrace on which it stands. The ornamentation consists of a series of friezes one above another, each about 700 feet long, and carved with the most exquisite elaboration. One frieze alone represents a procession of not less than 2000 elephants. The Ballala kings ruled from about a.d. 950 to a.d. 1310. It was plundered by Ala-ud-Din’s general Kafur, a eunuch and con- verted Hindu leader of a Mahomedan army, and it was finally destroyed by Mahomed hi., in a.d. 1326. Jonur, also called Moti-talao, twelve miles from Seringapatam, was afterwards made the capital. The entire walls of the Halebid Saiva temple are covered with carvings in stone, forming a Hindu pantheon. There are also two Jaina temples with colossal idols. The roofs are sup- ported by splendid columns, said to be of pot- stone, beautifully turned, and so highly polished as to be used as a mirror when wetted with water. HALFA. Arab. The Stipa tenacissima, a plant of North Africa, largely utilised as a paper material. HALHED. Nathaniel Brassy Halhed in 1776 published a code of Gentoo laws or ordinations of the Pandits, from a Persian translation made from the original, written in the Sanskrit language ; author of a Grammar of Bengali, a.d. 1778. HALI, in Kamaon, one of the Dom race who has been bought as a slave. In Surat, the Hali slave was a voluntary bondsman, who had temporarily sold himself for a sum of money.— Wils. Gloss. IIALLETUS, the sea eagle genus of birds, of the sub-family Aquilinse, family Falconidse, and order Raptores. H. fulviventer, Vieill., ring-tailed sea eagle. Falco Macei, Temm. Hali;etus Macei, Blyth. H. albipes, Hodgs. Macha rang, . . Beng. Mach-manga, . . ,, Mach-korol, koral, „ H. unicolor, Gray. H.lanceolatus, Hodgs. Bala, Beng. Kokna, .... Kol. Ugus „ The ring-tailed sea eagle is found throughout the N. of India, along the Ganges and Indus up to Kashmir. It lives on fish, tortoises, and snakes. H. leucogaster, Gmel., grey-backed sea eagle. Blagrus leucogaster, Blyth. F. dimidiatus, Raffles. Ichthyaetus cultrungus, „ F. maritimus, Gmel. Falco blagrus, jGaud. This sea eagle is found throughout India, in Burma, Malayana, and Australia, chiefly on the coast and near the mouths of rivers. It lives on sea-snakes, crabs, rats, and on fish which it picks up on the beach. H. leucocephalus is a bird of N. America and N.E. Asia.—Jerdon, Birds. HALIASTUR INDUS. Bodd. Falco Indus, Bodd. Haliaetus ponticerian., Syk. Sunker chil, . . Beng. Dhobia chil, . . ,, Garuda, Can. Brahmany kite, . . Eng. Pis-gender, . . Gond. Bahmani chil, . Hind. Milvus ponticer., Jerd. M. rotundicaudus, Hodg. Ru-mubarik, . . Hind. Kkeman kari, . . Sansk. Ratta Ookab, . . Sind. Garudalawa, . . . Tel. Shemberrid, . Yehkala. Garuda mantaru, ,, Europeans have given the name of the Brah- many kite to the Haliastur Indus, probably from ob- serving the feelings of the Hindus regarding it, who revere it as Garuda, the eagle vahan of Vishnu, and believe that when two armies are about to engage, its appearance prognosticates victory to the party over whom it hovers. The Brahmany kite is very useful in the populous seaport towns of India, in removing carrion and refuse, and is never killed. Major Moor mentions as an instance of this bird’s boldness, of which he was a witness, viz. its stooping and taking a chop off a girdiron standing over the fire that cooked it. The religious Hindu feeds these birds on holidays, by flinging up little portions of flesh, to which they are attracted by the call Hari! Hari! meaning Vishnu, Vishnu.