Humayun Abdulali (19 May 1914, Kobe, Japan - 3 June 2001, Mumbai, India) was an Indian ornithologist and biologist who was also a cousin of the "birdman of India", Salim Ali. Like other naturalists of his period, he took an initial interest in shikar (hunting). Unlike Sálim Ali, his main contributions were less field-oriented and based more on bird collections, particularly those at the Bombay Natural History Society where he worked for most of his life.
Early years and education Humayun Abdulali was born to a Sulaymani Bohra Ismaili family in Kobe in 1914. His parents were Lulu and Najmuddin Faizalhussain Abdulali, a businessman who imported raw cotton and safety matches from India. In his unfinished autobiography (posthumously published in the book Humayan Abdulali - Naturalist Portrait and Tribute), he wrote that his interest in natural history may have been cultivated at an early age at the English Mission School in Kobe, while reading American stories on cowboys and the wild west. The Abdulali family relocated to Mumbai (then Bombay), India in 1924. Humayun went to primary school at St Xavier's High School and later graduated from St. Xavier's College, Mumbai in 1936 with a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) degree while also receiving the Narayan Vasudev Prize. It was while studying zoology at St Xavier's College in 1932 that he started collecting birds. After graduating he worked for a year in his father's business (Faiz and Co.) of exporting scrap iron to Japan. He bought a secondhand 10/12 HP (horsepower) Harley Davidson motorcycle to travel extensively in and around Bombay. He also bought an old Lancia Tourer, which he used for several months. In 1938, he and his friend Boman Patuck met with a motorcycle accident that left them seriously injured. A policeman who had hitched a ride with them died in the accident. Humayun was charged with rash and negligent driving and was subsequently acquitted by a court in Bombay. He replaced the motorbike with a Morris Minor in 1939, which he used until his death. He went on numerous excursions to observe fauna as well as for hunts, accompanied by his naturalist friends and his cousin Salim Ali. These travels took him to Talegaon, Nashik, North Kanara, Travancore, Bharatpur, Assam (Manas and Kaziranga), Aurangabad, Western Ghats and the Kanheri Caves. In his unfinished autobiography, he describes his adventures and exploits in and around Bombay - shooting ducks, partridges, and tigers, as well as spotting various birds, animals, reptiles, and amphibians.
Career Sálim Ali introduced Humayun to the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS). He became a member of the Society in 1931, the year in which his first note titled "Eleven Koel eggs in a Crow's nest" was published in the Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society (JBNHS). His second note, published in the journal in 1934, earned him further acclaim. He published 356 notes in his lifetime and these covered birds, snakes, frogs and other fauna. He authored 270 scientific papers and 50 book reviews. A six-part series based on the specimens he collected when at St Xavier's college and of the birds he had spotted in and around Bombay, co-authored by Salim Ali, and titled "The Birds of Bombay and Salsette", was published between 1936 and 1938 in the Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society. Subsequently, the two continued to document their observations of the birds spotted in these areas in the journal. Charles McCann, the assistant curator at the BNHS, helped Humayun in identifying the specimens he had collected during his excursions. The two became good friends. After McCann's death, Humayun donated money towards the Charles McCann Vertebrate Fieldwork Fund instituted by the BNHS to promote field research. Humayun was elected to the Executive Committee of the BNHS in 1942. He was elected Joint Honorary Secretary of the BNHS along with Sálim Ali in 1949. During his tenure as the Honorary Secretary at BNHS (1949–62), three important milestones were achieved:
He was instrumental in drafting the Bombay Wild Animals and Wild Birds Protection Act of 1951. The law aimed to curb the rampant poaching and subsequent destruction of wildlife that started after India gained independence in 1947. He obtained permission from the Prince of Wales Museum to house the BNHS in its premises. He negotiated a grant of 3.5 lakh (350,000) rupees from the Central Government for the BNHS building. He catalogued the specimens in the collection of the BNHS. He was the editor of the Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society from 1960 to 1962, along with Sálim Ali and H. Santapau. After his stint as the honorary secretary of the BNHS ended in 1962, he continued to serve on the executive committee. From 1987 to 1992, he served as the vice president of the committee. In 1993, the BNHS conferred upon him the title of emeritus naturalist in recognition of his work at the BNHS.
Specimen collections
Humayun Abdulali collected specimens from in and around Bombay as well as from as far as the Andaman and Nicobar islands and added to the BNHS collection, which is now estimated to have around 50,000 specimens of reptiles, mammals, amphibians, and insects, and approximately 29,000 specimens of birds. He contributed about 3,000 bird specimens to the collection, now at the Bird Room of the BNHS. He played a crucial role in obtaining a grant for the housing and maintenance of the collection from the government of Maharashtra. After Humayun's tenure as the Honorary Secretary ended in 1962, he focused on re-examining and re-structuring the collection at BNHS. His studies resulted in the identification of 18 new sub-species. The catalogue, titled "Catalogue of the Birds in the Collection of the Bombay Natural History Society", was published in the Journal of the BNHS between 1968 and 1996. After his death, the Bird Room at the BNHS was named after him. Humayun contributed greatly to the production of the Handbook of Salim Ali and Dillon Ripley.
Work in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands
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