Bird and Man
Man has an excellent example in the animals, for they live perfectly natural lives, whereas man deviates time and time again from the path of nature.
Salim Ali (1896-1987) was India’s most renowned ornithologist. He became interested in bird watching when he was only ten years of age. Since then, he spent the greater part of his life with binoculars in hand, a camera strung across one shoulder, and a bag containing essential pieces of equipment. He was mostly found in the countryside, watching birds and observing their habits. He travelled far and wide in pursuit of his interest and was said to be even more widely travelled than Jawahar Lal Nehru. It is not surprising, then, that people called him a birdman. His expertise in the study of birds earned him many national and international awards.
More than 2000 species of birds are found in India. Salim Ali’s study of them enabled him to write many books. One of his books, The Handbook of Indian Birds, resulted from twenty years of intensive study.
Once Mr Ali was interviewed at his home in Bombay by an Indian national daily newspaper correspondent. The journalist found him courteous and urbane to a pretty exceptional degree, and it occurred to him that perhaps this immense courtesy in some way was derived from his observation of birds. In his report of the interview, he wrote: “Perhaps a course in bird-watching should be recommended to make men more human.” (The Times of India, September 2, 1983)
Innumerable species of birds and animals are to be found in the world. In ancient times, man knew very little about them, but in the present age, extensive study has been made on the different animals that inhabit the earth, and much information about them has been accumulated. Nowadays, there are various ways by which man can become acquainted with the way of life of animals. It is one of the purposes behind aviaries and zoos.
Zoology, the science of animals, is a permanent feature of the curriculum of most universities. Man has an excellent example in the animals, for they live perfectly natural lives, whereas he deviates time and time again from the path of nature. If a man would only follow the ways of the animals, this would be enough to earn him salvation.
