Allan Octavian Hume
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ALLAN OCTAVIAN HUME
The Ornithologist
One of the defining moments of the Indian Independence Movement was the foundation of the Indian National Congress (INC). Allan Octavian Hume, who played a seminal role in the foundation of the INC, was a member of the Indian Civil Service, a political reformer, a botanist, and a notable ornithologist. Apart from his illustrious career in the civil service of British India, Hume was also a pioneer of birding in India. He is also known as the “Father of Indian Ornithology” and, alternatively, the “Pope of Indian Ornithology.”
A. O. Hume’s interest in birds can be traced to the era when they were merely a sport for hunting and eating. His professional commitments as a colonial administrator required extensive tours, during which he encountered diverse bird species. His enthusiasm and passion for birds were evident in his ability to describe and name the birds in both English and local languages, at a time when there were no specific journals for reference.
A Portrait of A. O. Hume
Cover of the Journal “Stray Feathers”
During his posting in Etawah, he assembled a collection of bird specimens. Unfortunately, they were destroyed during the 1857 rebellion. Thereafter, he made several arduous attempts to resume the pursuit of his passion. In the 1860s, he started stuffing birds, labelling them, and making notes. The result of his initial research was the publication of his first book in 1869: My Scrap Book—Indian Oology and Ornithology. Subsequently, due to his interest in theosophy, Hume became a vegetarian and abandoned hunting and the killing of birds. In 1871-72, he relocated to Shimla, where he established a Natural Museum at Rothney Castle. He also appointed a full-time curator and established the journal Stray Feathers, which ran to over 5,000 pages. Over the next few decades, he published more than 200 ornithological papers and monographs and curated an ornithological museum and library. He built an extensive network of over 160 contributors, which helped him acquire specimens from across the Indian Empire.
In the 1880s, A. O. Hume faced a series of professional tribulations, including early retirement. However, the most monumental and tragic loss he faced was the theft of most of his manuscript for his magnum opus, Birds of the British Indian Empire. After losing his manuscript, Hume abandoned ornithology and gifted his entire collection to the Natural History Museum in London. His collection, consisting of over 60,000 bird specimens representing around 258 bird species and over 20,000 eggs, remains the most extensive collection of birds received by the museum.
Allan Octavian Hume’s contribution to ornithology in the Indian subcontinent is exceptional. Hume described around 148 new bird taxa and described 113 species of birds in the Indian subcontinent. His discoveries include the Andaman Barn Owl, Ceylon Bay Owl, and the Nicobar Serpent Eagle, amongst others. There are also several species and subspecies named in his honour: Hume’s Hawk Owl, Mrs Hume’s Pheasant, Hume’s Leaf Warbler, Hume’s Whitethroat, Hume’s Wheater, Hume’s Groundpecker, and Hume’s Short-toed Lark, besides others. Thus, the role of A. O. Hume was paramount not only in laying the foundation of the INC but also in the study and research of the birds of the subcontinent.
A. O. Hume - Stamp of India, 1973