Ornithological notes made in the Straits Settlements and the western states of the Malay Peninsula
H.R. Kelham, a captain in the 74th Highlanders, published these ornithological field notes in 1883, drawing on observations made between 1877 and 1880 across the Straits Settlements and the western Malay states of Perak, Larut, and Province Wellesley. The article, originally published in The Ibis and here reprinted in the JSBRAS, constitutes a systematic account of bird species encountered during military postings, combining precise morphological descriptions with detailed notes on migration timing, breeding phenology, and local Malay hunting practices.
Summary
Kelham’s notes cover a wide taxonomic range, from game birds (Jungle-fowl, Quail, Partridge) through shorebirds (Snipe, Plover, Curlew, Stints) to waterfowl (Whistling Teal, Goose Teal), rails, herons, and marine birds. His observations are anchored to specific dates, localities, and measurements, giving the text considerable value as a historical baseline for avian phenology in western Malaya. A recurring theme is the north-east monsoon as the principal driver of shorebird migration: great flocks of Golden Plover, Sand-Plover, Curlew, and Whimbrel arrive from October through March, while the Pintail Snipe arrives in force from late August to early April, with Province Wellesley identified as the peninsula’s premier snipe-ground (pp. 177–183).
For resident and semi-resident species, Kelham documents breeding seasons with notable precision. Jungle-fowl breed from March to July in Perak; the Crested Water-cock shows its red frontal plate in April; the Whistling Teal pairs and retires to jungle creeks by June, with young birds reported by natives in January or February, suggesting a breeding window from August or September through the rainy season (pp. 172, 188–189, 198–199). The White-bodied Goose Teal is recorded as absent from Singapore and the coastal islands but abundant on the mainland jheels, where it breeds in tree-holes (pp. 200–202).
The article also preserves valuable ethnographic detail on Malay hunting methods. In Province Wellesley, Malays decoy Jungle-fowl by imitating the cock’s crow; in Perak, they employ caged female Bustard-Quail as live decoys fitted with a spring-net mechanism that triggers when a wild bird breaks a thread stretched across the cage bars (pp. 172, 175–176). Kelham notes that Dr. Jerdon’s Indian account records only hens being caught this way, attributing the phenomenon to pugnacity rather than sexual attraction—a point he acknowledges he failed to verify in Perak.
Key Findings
- The Pintail Snipe (Gallinago stenura) is the dominant snipe species in western Malaya, arriving in large numbers from late August and departing by late April; Province Wellesley is identified as the best snipe-ground in the peninsula, with bags of 35–56 couple per day recorded in exceptionally good seasons (pp. 180–183).
- The Eastern Golden Plover (Charadrius fulvus) is confirmed as a migrant in the southern peninsula, with the latest breeding-plumage specimens recorded on 8 April in Perak and 13 April near Singapore, indicating nesting grounds further north (pp. 177–178).
- The Whistling Teal (Dendrocygna javanica) is described as “the Duck of the Malayan Peninsula,” collecting in hundreds on Perak jheels from February to April, departing by mid-June, and returning a few months later; some individuals near Kuala Kangsa appear to breed locally during the rainy season (pp. 198–200).
- A single immature Frigate-bird (Attagenus minor) was shot on Pulau Nongsa on 23 September 1880, which Kelham believes to be the only specimen recorded from the Straits Settlements (pp. 203–204).
- The Pheasant-tailed Jacana (Parra sinensis) was represented by a single male in summer plumage, shot near Saiyong jheel in the first week of May 1877, making it an exceptionally rare record for the peninsula (p. 187).
- The Malay Adjutant (Leptoptilus javanicus) is documented as a tame, gregarious scavenger that can be purchased for three or four dollars; a pair kept at the Penang race-course was observed to consume thirty-two small fish in rapid succession, and one died of gastric inflammation caused by undigested fowl legs and claws (pp. 192–194).
Conclusion
Kelham’s definitive historical takeaway is that the western Malay peninsula functions as a critical migratory corridor for shorebirds during the north-east monsoon, with the flat, well-watered, and extensively cultivated landscape of Province Wellesley serving as the principal concentration point. His dated, locality-specific observations provide a quantitative baseline—migration arrival and departure dates, peak abundance periods, and breeding phenology—that remains valuable for assessing long-term shifts in avian distribution and timing in the region.
Context
- The article was first published in The Ibis, the journal of the British Ornithologists’ Club, before being reprinted in the JSBRAS, reflecting the dual audience of British ornithological and colonial scientific communities in the 1880s.
- Kelham’s observations were made in the course of military service (74th Highlanders, later posted to Tanglin, Singapore, and previously to Kuala Kangsa, Perak), and his access to local Malay knowledge—on decoying techniques, bird names such as “Burong salantung,” and native reports of breeding—illustrates the collaborative, if asymmetrical, nature of colonial natural history.