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Book review:
Wonderful work on Devil Birds
Title: The Devil Birds of Ceylon
Author: Dr. R L Spittel
Publisher: Sooriya Publishers, Colombo 10.
Price: Rs. 150
'The Devil Birds of Ceylon' is a wonderfully written slim book by the
famous Sri Lankan surgeon and writer Dr. R L Spittel whose name is still
synonymous with Veddha-lore and Sri Lankan jungle-lore. Even today after
the lapse of several decades since his books first appeared in the Sri
Lankan bookshops, they continue to capture the keen interest of the
English as well as the Sinhala reading public as much as they did in the
past. The Devil Birds of Ceylon was first published in December 1968 as
a supplement to 'Loris' the journal of the Wildlife Protection Society
of Ceylon which Dr. R L Spittel himself so ably edited in spite of his
being a busy and much sought after surgeon.
It is interesting to recall how Dr. R L Spittel was prompted to write
this monograph as a supplement to 'Loris'. He says: "There was much
controversy in the Press in March and April 1967, especially the Times
Weekender under the facetious caption "What the devil is the devil
bird?" sparked off by Andrew Scott. Amidst the spate of letters that
followed there were some authentic facts recorded but they had to be
disentangled from much verbal embroidery and irrelevancy making
confusion more confounded." When 'The Devil Birds of Ceylon' first
appeared there was much discussion and controversy about the
identification of the devil birds not only in Sri Lanka but also in
neighbouring India which is also a popular domain of the Devil Bird or
Ulama, the name by which it is best known.
This neatly printed book is divided into four sections: The Devil
Birds of Ceylon (which serves as a useful introduction), Shooting and
Identification of Four Birds, Characteristics and Habitat of the Birds,
Extracts from Letters to the Press regarding the Identity of the Devil
Bird and ends with Imprecatory Verses to Silence the Devil Birds. On
pages 20 and 21 some pictures of the contenders to this mysterious bird
of the Sri Lankan jungles are given.
'The Devil Birds of Ceylon' is also an interesting and useful source
book for students of zoology and the general reader interested in birds.
In this book the author who was one of Sri Lanka's foremost writers in
English and a well known nature lover sets out lucidly the folklore as
well as the scientific data available about the Devil Birds of Ceylon
and tries to provide an answer to the question what the devil is the
Devil Bird?
The book provides ample material for a deeper study of this
interesting subject. The Devil Birds of Sri Lanka which continues to be
a mystery of the Sri Lankan jungles.
The writer also scientifically analyses some of the important facts
he has collected about 'The Devil Birds of Ceylon' over a long period
during his jungle jaunts and draws references from India too.
This is a unique little book that should be of absorbing interest to
all and the mature attitudes of a versatile writer are shown throughout
this book. This has been written in a very lucid style - a unique
characteristic feature of all writings of Dr. R L Spittel.
'The Devil Birds of Ceylon' while serving as a reference guide to the
laymen will be of absorbing interest to the ornithologists. The layout
and the print of this book are excellent and its cover has been tastily
designed.
- Andrew Scott
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