746 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY, Vol. XXV. 



No. VIII.— THE WHITE-NECKED STORK IN THE PUNJAB. 



In the ' Fauna of British India ' Birds, Vol. iv., p. 871, there occurs the 

 following statement with regard to the White-necked Stork, Dissura ejnscopus 

 (Bodd.). " Except in the Punjab and Sind (where, however, a solitary 

 specimen was once obtained), this Stork appears to occur almost through- 

 out the well-watered plains of India, Ceylon, and Burma." The inference 

 to be drawn from this utatement obviously is that the White-necked Stork 

 does not occur in the Punjab, but this inference is so far removed from 

 fact that it may not be out of place to set on record some notice of its 

 occurrence and status in this province. 



To begin with, Blewitt had already shown that the species occurred at 

 Hansi ; he .states ('Humes' Nests and Eggs of Indian Birds, 2nd ed., p. 

 268) : — " I found several nests of this species in the neighbourhood of 

 Hansi during the latter half of June and the early part of July. They 

 were all placed on peepul or burgot trees, mostly in the neighbourhood of 

 the canal, and at heights of from 20 to 25 feet from the ground. They 

 were densely built of kikur and ber and sheeshum twigs, and thickly lined 

 with straw, leaves, and feathers. Thej'^ varied from 14 to 17 inches in 

 diameter, and from 4 to 7 inches in depth." 



" Four was the largest number of eggs found in any nest, and, as in 

 more than one instance when this number was found, the eggs were more 

 or less incubated, this would seem to be the normal complement." 



About the same locality on a Canal Bank near Hansi I found a nest of 

 this Stork on 8th July 1914. To quote from my diarj^ : — 



" I found a White-necked Stork sitting on a large untidy stick nest placed 

 in a side bough of a large Shisham. The bird sat close and when disturbed 

 kept on flying round, returning as soon as I left the tree ; from the clucking 

 noise, when the bird moved, it was evident that the nest contained young. 

 However I sent a man up to examine and secured 3 very stained and 

 addled eggs with a nestling. The latter Avas apparently about a week old, 

 so I kept it with a view to rearing it if possible." 



This chick was described as follows : — 



The skin plumbeous in colour ; on the crown extending from the fore- 

 head, which was covered with white down, to the level of the ear orifices 

 a thick growth of black decomposed feathers with a blue gloss. The facial 

 skin and pouch sparsely, the nape and neck all round thickly, clothed with 

 white down. 



Entire upper parts, lower neck and breast covered with sooty coloured 

 down, with minute grey tips. Flanks, sides of abdomen, and underside of 

 tail covered with white down. 



Iris hazel. Bill brownish black slightly tipped with orange yellow, the 

 latter colour broken by a brownish black bar. Legs fleshy plumbeous 

 speckled most closely on the feet with dark brown. Claws fleshy 

 yellow. 



Eyelids plumbeous black. Facial skin and pouch plumbeous grey, the 

 latter tinged with green. 



The chick was reared successfully on frogs, small fisli, insects, and raw 

 nieat soaked in water and made a most amusing pet ; it lived loose in the 

 compound until it was killed one night by a dog or jackal. 



The species is certainly common and probably resident at Hansi ; it is 

 found throughout the remaining parts of Hissar district, including Sirsa, 

 and majr be observed throughout the j'^ear although varying somewhat in 

 numbers. I have once seen a couple standing on the domed roof of a 

 mausoleum at Hissar, but for the most part this Stork is to be seen standing 

 wrapped in meditation on the ground or feeding with other storks and 



