Lanka’s soldier Ornithologist

K.G.H. MUNIDASA

Ninety-first death anniversary of Lieut. Col. Legge, the great ornithologist who paved the way for the systematic study of the birds of Sri Lanka falls on March 25, this year.

Lieut. Col. W. Vincent Legge, RA, FLS, FZS, MBOU, came to Sri Lanka in 1868 as a full-fledged lieutenant in the Royal Artillery at the comparatively young age of 28 years.

Having seen service in England and Australia, his army carrier was well established and established equally well was his interest in the study of birds, for even then he was contributing to natural history journals in Britain.

During the next three decades he lived a very active life, and earned recognition in both these fields. His magnificent work “A History of the Birds of Ceylon”, which came out in 1880 is still acclaimed as one of the most comprehensive books ever written on the subject and a mine of information to the amateur ornithologists in Sri Lanka.

Yet, it has been said that Legge collected the vast amount of material on which this book is based during his `spare time’ from military duties in the island from 1868 to 1877, and took three years to write it, on retirement from the Imperial Services.

His collecting expeditions took his to all the corners of Sri Lanka, travelling on horse-back and with a retinue of attendants.

During such expeditions he brought back numerous preserved skins, eggs and young birds, not to mention the meticulous details and measurements.

He kept a `flourishing aviary’ of birds for study and a favourite among them was a Ceylon Hawk Eagle, which Legge mentions in his book as having made two voyages round the island with him and trips across the country in a bullock bandy.

Colonel Legge killed a great many birds in the interest of science and we can imagine what an enormous amount of work he would have had to do upon returning from one of his expeditions, i.e. preservation of specimens, measurings, cataloguing etc.

The Legge Collection of the birds of Sri Lanka at the Colombo museum comprise 678 specimens on 278 species. In accordance with wishes of the Late Col. Legge this was gifted to our National Museums in 1936 by the Trustees of the Tasmania Museum. This unique collection of skins is now over one hundred years old.

Colonel Legge kept a continuous correspondence with eminent ornithologists throughout the world, such as Swinhoe and Pere David (China), Lord Tweeddale (the Phillipines), Von Niddendorff (Siberia). Jordan, Hume and Blyth (India) Blakiston (Japan), Shelly (Egypt) and Col. Prjevalsky, to mention a few. He was a frequent contributor to “The Ibs” and the Indian ornithological publications “Stray Feathers” and to the journal of the Royal Asiatic Society (Sri Lanka) in which he held the post of Hony. Secretary from 1870 to 1877. He was a contemporary of E.L.Layard and Holdswarth, both practising ornithologists in Sri Lanka. Not only that Legge was always appreciative of the contribution they made or the knowledge they imparted to him.

After Legge retired from the Imperial Service and left the island, in the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, he was appointed Commandment of the local military forces by the Government of Tasmania - his native country. He held this post until 1902 when he finally said good-bye to the army life.

However, he continued with his absorbing pastime of studying birds and published many papers on ornithology and also on geological and anthropological subjects.

In recognition of his services to the sciences he was elected a Colonial Member of the British Ornithologists Union in 1903 and in 1904 was made President of the Australian Association for the Advancement of Science. He was also a member of the Royal Society of Tasmania.

Colonel Legge died on March 25, 1918 at Cullenswood House, St. Mary’s his home in Tasmania, aged 78.

It is said that in that country his name is associated with a mountain. In Sri Lanka the name Legge is perpetuated by many feathered creatures he discovered and named.