424 Mr. R. Swinhoe on Formosan Omithohgij . 



roosting in daylight in company, among osiers or bamboos, on the 

 banks of inland waters, and rambling about in the twilight and 

 darkness of night in search of food. In the darkest nights their 

 loud kwa may be heard as the birds are winging their way over- 

 head. The Chinese call them Am-kong cheow, or bird of dark- 

 ness, and look upon them with superstitious dread. They are 

 thought to have some connexion with evil spirits; and as it 

 is the Chinese custom to propitiate the evil demons, that they 

 may not play any of their mad pranks on humanity, so they 

 give protection to these their birds. In large cities superstition 

 is laughed down, and not so prevalent ; we therefore, in the For- 

 mosan capital, were not thought to commit any great sin in 

 disturbing the ill-hallowed bird ; but among the country-people 

 at Tamsuy, the villagers for miles round would flock to us when 

 we were out with guns, and beg us not to disturb a colony of 

 Night-Herons that had commenced nesting-operations in a fine 

 bamboo-grove. This plantation of tall bamboos, mixed occa- 

 sionally with longans and other trees, was on a hemp-fann of 

 some four acres, which it entirely encircled. The flock of Night- 

 Herons, about 200 or more in number, showed themselves about 

 this wood for the first time in March. For a fortnight they 

 merely made it their roosting-site for the day. In April all was 

 excitement, fighting and building ; and towards the middle of 

 the month many of the birds were laying. In the first few days 

 of April a large colony of Egrets {Herudias garzetta) came to the 

 same trees ; and about the middle of the month a large flock 

 of Yellowheads {Buphus coromandus). At first the confusion 

 was very great, the flocks of the several species coming into 

 constant collision ; but before the end of April all seemed ami- 

 cably arranged, and you could often see on the same tree several 

 nests of the three distinct Herons, the females of each sitting, 

 and the males standmg by to protect. This large mingled 

 heronry was a most interesting sight ; and many times on a fine 

 evening, I have taken boat and crossed over to the Heron-farm 

 to view it. The farm-house stood at one end of the planta- 

 tion ; and its inhabitants were always courteous and kind, and 

 allowed me to roam about their grounds as I pleased. A small 

 wood of large trees stood close to the cluster of huts, and these 



