92 M. Sundevall on the Birds of Calcutta, 



The species in question is called in Bengal Hargila or Hargill, 

 or Gorur. The Europeans sometimes call it Eagle or Pelican^ 

 but commonly Adjutant, in consequence of this bird being no- 

 where so abundant as at Fort William near Calcutta^ and on the 

 roof of the Government-house in the town, where often twenty 

 or thirty collect in the evening to pass the night. The Hindoos 

 regard them as especially sacred, and the English government 

 has for their protection imposed a fine of sixteen rupees for the 

 killing of one. They have even become so tame that at Fort Wil- 

 liam I often got within fifteen ells of them, and the inhabitants, 

 whom they are more accustomed to see, can go close to them 

 without their moving. I believe that they would make resistance 

 if any one were to attack them. 



The flight of the Hargill is remarkably steady and elegant, 

 like that of the Vulture ; in large circles with the wings perfectly 

 still. One often sees them gradually ascend in spiral circles to 

 such a height that they can hardly be perceived as fine specks ; 

 by the angle which they subtended I estimated the perpendicular 

 height at a quarter of a Swedish mile [one and a half English 

 mile] . They remain near Calcutta all the year, and are rather 

 rare at some miles^ distance from the town. 



Obs. A nearly allied species is found in Africa, which is some- 

 what less, and greenish above. It was first described by Tem- 

 minck and well figured in PI. Col. 301. Under the tail of both 

 these species are found the elegant curled feathers which are used 

 as ornaments under the name of Marabu's feathers. Temminck 

 calls the Indian bird Ciconia marabu and the African C. argala, 

 but he has here confounded these names. Argala was derived 

 by Latham from the Indian Hargila, and unquestionably applies 

 only to the Indian species. Marabu on the other hand is a name 

 introduced from Africa, and can least of all be applied to an In- 

 dian species which had two names already. The word Marabun, 

 or in common parlance Marabu, means, according to the Arabic 

 dictionary, an assembler of the people, and is used in Barbary for 

 the priests of the Bedouins, who it seems use these feathers as 

 marks of distinction ; whence in Europe they have got the name 

 of Marabu's feathers. Now that this confusion of names has 

 once occurred, it can scarcely be corrected in any other way than 

 by adopting entirely fresh names ; so that it is best to retain for 

 the Asiatic species the older though ill-adapted specific name of 

 Gmelin, C. dubia, and for the African one to adopt a new one, 

 viz. C. vetula. 



76. Ardea nycticorax, L., Wagl. Syst. no. 31. Plumis colli elon- 

 gatis, tibia brevius nuda. Rostrum crassum, capita paullo longius. 

 Adulta : alba, capillitio dorsoque aeneo-nigris, alis, dorso posteriore 

 obtecto, caudaque canis. 



