Frederick Nicholson Betts
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant-Colonel Frederick Nicholson Betts (1906 – 22 August 1973) was a British Indian Army
officer and an ornithologist.
F. N. Betts was born in Launceston, Cornwall in UK. He studied at Winchester College
1920-24. He went to Ceylon and worked in the tea plantations there and later in the coffee plantations in Coorg. He joined the army in India
as a Captain in the Punjab Regiment
and in 1940, was posted to Eritrea
. He was later posted Lt. Col. (Intelligence) in the V Force
in Burma, a guerrilla and intelligence unit in north eastern India which made use of Assam Hill tribesmen. Here he met Ursula Graham Bower
, an anthropologist studying the Nagas
, whom he married in 1945.
In 1946, the government of India made him the first political officer of the Subansiri area between the Assam plains and the McMahon Line
(the boundary between India and Tibet
). His first task was to march 60 miles into the interior to establish a supply drop zone and to set up a base which could provide supplies for the administrative setup there amid tribes such as the Nyishis and Apa Tanis.
A year after India's independence, he moved to Kenya and served in the veterinary service in the Western Masai Reserve. He later moved from Kenya to the Island of Mull
in Scotland where he spent time studying birds and animals, and in 1967 he moved again to the New Forest
in Southern England. He died of a stroke when out riding in New Forest in 1973.
. He worked at coffee plantations in Coorg at Coovercully near Somwarpet and Yemmegundi at Pollibetta. His studies of the birds of Coorg during this time led to his major work on the birds of Coorg which he published in the Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society to "complement" the results of the Mysore survey that Salim Ali
was undertaking at around the same time. His work was ahead of his time in that the entire study was based purely on observations and not on collected skins. His notes document the differences in the avifauna of the dry and wet zones of Coorg and also provide arrival dates for local and long distance migrants. The editors of the Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society noted:
Many of his notes on the birdlife of India were used by Salim Ali
.
His work in Kenya
led to a major paper on 'The Birds of Masai'. He also took an interest in orchid cultivation. He became a member of the Hampshire Field Club's Ornithological section and of the Hampshire Naturalists' Trust. He was Secretary of the New Forest beagles, served on the New Forest Consultative Panel, and was a Treasurer of the Burley Branch of the British legion.
.
British Indian Army
The British Indian Army, officially simply the Indian Army, was the principal army of the British Raj in India before the partition of India in 1947...
officer and an ornithologist.
F. N. Betts was born in Launceston, Cornwall in UK. He studied at Winchester College
Winchester College
Winchester College is an independent school for boys in the British public school tradition, situated in Winchester, Hampshire, the former capital of England. It has existed in its present location for over 600 years and claims the longest unbroken history of any school in England...
1920-24. He went to Ceylon and worked in the tea plantations there and later in the coffee plantations in Coorg. He joined the army in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
as a Captain in the Punjab Regiment
Punjab Regiment
Punjab Regiment may refer to the following existing units:*Punjab Regiment *Punjab Regiment From 1922 to 1947, the British Indian Army included 6 numbered Punjab Regiments:*1st Punjab Regiment*2nd Punjab Regiment*8th Punjab Regiment...
and in 1940, was posted to Eritrea
Eritrea
Eritrea , officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa. Eritrea derives it's name from the Greek word Erethria, meaning 'red land'. The capital is Asmara. It is bordered by Sudan in the west, Ethiopia in the south, and Djibouti in the southeast...
. He was later posted Lt. Col. (Intelligence) in the V Force
V Force
V Force was a reconnaissance and intelligence-gathering organisation established by the British during the Burma Campaign in World War II.-Establishment and organisation:...
in Burma, a guerrilla and intelligence unit in north eastern India which made use of Assam Hill tribesmen. Here he met Ursula Graham Bower
Ursula Graham Bower
Ursula Violet Graham Bower MBE , was one of the pioneer anthropologists in the Naga Hills between 1937–1946 and a guerrilla fighter against the Japanese in Burma from 1942-45....
, an anthropologist studying the Nagas
Naga people
The term Naga people refers to a conglomeration of several tribes inhabiting the North Eastern part of India and north-western Burma. The tribes have similar cultures and traditions, and form the majority ethnic group in the Indian state of Nagaland...
, whom he married in 1945.
In 1946, the government of India made him the first political officer of the Subansiri area between the Assam plains and the McMahon Line
McMahon Line
The McMahon Line is a line agreed to by Great Britain and Tibet as part of Simla Accord, a treaty signed in 1914. Although its legal status is disputed by China, it is the effective boundary between China and India....
(the boundary between India and Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
). His first task was to march 60 miles into the interior to establish a supply drop zone and to set up a base which could provide supplies for the administrative setup there amid tribes such as the Nyishis and Apa Tanis.
A year after India's independence, he moved to Kenya and served in the veterinary service in the Western Masai Reserve. He later moved from Kenya to the Island of Mull
Isle of Mull
The Isle of Mull or simply Mull is the second largest island of the Inner Hebrides, off the west coast of Scotland in the council area of Argyll and Bute....
in Scotland where he spent time studying birds and animals, and in 1967 he moved again to the New Forest
New Forest
The New Forest is an area of southern England which includes the largest remaining tracts of unenclosed pasture land, heathland and forest in the heavily-populated south east of England. It covers south-west Hampshire and extends into south-east Wiltshire....
in Southern England. He died of a stroke when out riding in New Forest in 1973.
Natural history
During his time in various remote places he studied the local birds and butterflies. He was among the first to study and report from the remote Khru valley, the Coorg district in southern India as well as from parts of northeast India and Africa. While in India he was an active member of the Bombay Natural History SocietyBombay Natural History Society
The Bombay Natural History Society, founded on 15 September 1883, is one of the largest non-governmental organizations in India engaged in conservation and biodiversity research. It supports many research efforts through grants, and publishes the Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society. Many...
. He worked at coffee plantations in Coorg at Coovercully near Somwarpet and Yemmegundi at Pollibetta. His studies of the birds of Coorg during this time led to his major work on the birds of Coorg which he published in the Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society to "complement" the results of the Mysore survey that Salim Ali
Salim Ali (ornithologist)
Sálim Moizuddin Abdul Ali was an Indian ornithologist and naturalist. Known as the "birdman of India", Salim Ali was among the first Indians to conduct systematic bird surveys across India and his bird books helped develop ornithology...
was undertaking at around the same time. His work was ahead of his time in that the entire study was based purely on observations and not on collected skins. His notes document the differences in the avifauna of the dry and wet zones of Coorg and also provide arrival dates for local and long distance migrants. The editors of the Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society noted:
Many of his notes on the birdlife of India were used by Salim Ali
Salim Ali (ornithologist)
Sálim Moizuddin Abdul Ali was an Indian ornithologist and naturalist. Known as the "birdman of India", Salim Ali was among the first Indians to conduct systematic bird surveys across India and his bird books helped develop ornithology...
.
His work in Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
led to a major paper on 'The Birds of Masai'. He also took an interest in orchid cultivation. He became a member of the Hampshire Field Club's Ornithological section and of the Hampshire Naturalists' Trust. He was Secretary of the New Forest beagles, served on the New Forest Consultative Panel, and was a Treasurer of the Burley Branch of the British legion.
Publications
- (1965) Notes on some resident breeding birds of southwest Kenya. Ibis 108(4):513-530
- (1957) Halcyon pileata inland. JBNHS. 54(2):462.
- (1956) Notes on birds of the Subansiri area, Assam. JBNHS. 53(3):397-414.
- (1956) Colonization of islands by White-eyes (ZosteropsZosteropsZosterops is a genus of birds containing the typical white-eyes. They are traditionally placed in the white-eye family, Zosteropidae, which may actually be a part of the Timaliidae, however...
spp.). JBNHS. 53(3):472-473. - (1954) Occurrence of the Blacknecked Crane (Grus nigricollis) in Indian limits. JBNHS. 52(2&3):605-606.
- (1952) Birds nesting on telegraph wires. JBNHS. 51(1):271-272.
- (1952) The breeding seasons of birds in the hills of South India. Ibis 94(4):621-628.
- (1951) The birds of Coorg. Part II. JBNHS. 50(2):224-263.
- (1951) The birds of Coorg. Part I. JBNHS. 50(1):20-63.
- (1950) Tangkhul Naga Pottery-Making. Man 50:117-118
- (1950) On a collection of butterflies from the Bahipara Frontier Tract and the Subansiri Area. (Northern Assam). JBNHS 49(3):93.
- (1948) The flight of Storks on migration. Ibis 90(1):150-151.
- (1947) Bird life in an Assam jungle. JBNHS. 46(4):667-684.
- (1940) Birds of the Seychelles - 2 .The sea-birds more particularly those of Aride IslandAride IslandAride Island is the northernmost granitic island in the Seychelles and is 10 km north of Praslin. It is 68 hectares in area and is a nature reserve. Aride is leased and managed by the Island Conservation Society of Seychelles. The only human inhabitants are the reserve's staff; currently four...
. Ibis (14) 4: 489-504. - (1939) The breeding of the Indian Sooty Tern (Sterna fuscata infuscata) in the Laccadive * Islands. JBNHS. 40(4):763-764.
- (1938) The birds of the Laccadive Islands. JBNHS. 40(3):382-387.
- (1938) Some birds of a Coorg down. JBNHS. 40(1):39-48.
- (1937) Bird life on a southern Indian tank. JBNHS. 39(3):594-602.
- (1936) Wanted information about heronries in South India. JBNHS. 39(1):183.
- (1935) Nidification of the Blackheaded BabblerDark-fronted BabblerThe Dark-fronted Babbler is an Old World babbler found in the Western Ghats of India and the forests of Sri Lanka. They are tiny chestnut brown birds with a dark black cap, a whitish underside and pale yellow iris...
Rhopocichla a. atriceps (Oates). JBNHS. 38(1):189. - (1935) Arrival dates of migrant birds in Coorg. JBNHS. 38(1):197.
- (1934) Dates of arrival of migrant birds in Coorg in 1932. JBNHS. 37(1):225.
- (1934) South Indian Woodpeckers. JBNHS. 37(1):197-203.
- (1932) Notes on some Ceylon birds. JBNHS. 36(1):257-259.
- (1931) The BulbulBulbulBulbuls are a family, Pycnonotidae, of medium-sized passerine songbirds. Many forest species are known as greenbuls. The family is distributed across most of Africa and into the Middle East, tropical Asia to Indonesia, and north as far as Japan. A few insular species occur on the tropical islands...
s of the Nilgiris. JBNHS. 34(4):1024-1028. - (1930) Migration notes in 1929 from the Nilgiri District. JBNHS. 34(2):569.
- (1929) Notes on the birds of Coorg. JBNHS. 33(3):542-551.
- (1929) Bird movements in Coorg. JBNHS. 33(3):718-719.
- (1929) Migration of the Pied Crested Cuckoo Clamator jacobinus. JBNHS. 33(3):714.
- (1929) Distribution of the Brown ShrikeBrown ShrikeThe Brown Shrike is a bird in the shrike family that is found mainly in Asia. It is closely related to the Red-backed Shrike and Isabelline Shrike . Like most other shrikes, it has a distinctive black "bandit-mask" through the eye...
Lanius cristatus cristatus. JBNHS. 33(3):714.
Works based on his life
Two BBC Radio 4 plays, 'The Naga Queen' by John Horsley Denton and 'The Butterfly Hunt' by Mathew Solon were based on the life of F. N. Betts and his wife Ursula Graham BowerUrsula Graham Bower
Ursula Violet Graham Bower MBE , was one of the pioneer anthropologists in the Naga Hills between 1937–1946 and a guerrilla fighter against the Japanese in Burma from 1942-45....
.
Other sources
- Ursula Graham Bower. 1950. Naga Path London, John Murray.
- Ursula Graham Bower. 1953. The Hidden Land London, John Murray.
External links
- http://www.burmastar.org.uk/nagaqueen.htm
- http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/hometruths/nagaqueen.shtml
- https://www.dspace.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/1466