Mr. R, B. Sharpe on Birds from Fao. 491 



place_, returning three times a day regularly for their meals. 

 It was quite amusing to watch their return from their 

 rambles^ seldom arriving together; those first home always 

 appeared glad when the later ones arrived^ advancing to meet 

 them at a half flying run with open wings, cawing a sort of 

 welcome, and when they met there would be a deal of bow- 

 ing and scraping and a little dance, partaken in by the new 

 arrivals ; then they would run ofi" to their roos ting-place, 

 where a second performance would be gone through by the 

 whole company, a sort of " all hands round '' ! 



They all came to an unfortunate end. The Arabs con- 

 sider these birds a great delicacy as an article of food, and 

 unfortunately all my birds one after the other fell victims to 

 the Arab sportsman. As each was shot, the rest appeared to 

 mourn their loss greatly ; for all through the night at intervals 

 they would give a single caw, repeated on each occasion four 

 or five times. The next day they refused their food till late 

 in the day and kept in the vicinity of the telegraph buildings 

 for two or three days, after which they gained confidence and 

 went out on their former excursions. All met the same fate.] 



80. Herodias garzetta (L.) ; Blanf. t. c. p. 296, 



[No. 110. Resident. Supposed to breed near Abdulla 

 Bank.] 



81. ArDEA com ATA, Pall. 



Ardea ralloides, Dresser, B. Eur. vi. p. 251. 

 [No. 32. Resident. Supposed to breed in same localities 

 as Demiegretta gularis.^ 



82. BUBULCUS IBIS, Bp. 



Ardea ibis, Blanf. t. c. p. 296. 



[No. 60. Resident. Supposed to breed in the same 

 localities as Demiegretta gularis.~\ 



83. Nycticorax gkiseus (L.) ; Blanf. t. c. p. 296. 



[Nos. 18, 20. Arriving in October and leaving in May. 

 One or two large flocks frequent the same clump of date- 

 trees yearly.] 



