80 Mr. H. 'Soh\e~Forti/-four 



built of dead rushes, from four to teu feet from the ground, 

 in swamps and i-eed-bcds. Some nests contained five eggs, 

 but three or four were more usual. On April 27th we found 

 them fresh and incubated, and young on May 14th. Three 

 nests were on low tamarisk-bushes in the middle of a large 

 colony of the smaller species of Herons. 



Ardea carzetta. 



The Little Egret is comraou locally. On bushes in Laguua 

 Taraja, in the carefully preserved Goto Donaua, I found this 

 bird breeding in some numbers. The nests were slight 

 platforms of sticks placed on tamarisks growing in water 

 three or four feet deep, and many had full sets of four and 

 five eggs on April 27th. 



Ardea bubulcus. 



The Buff-backed Heron is more numerous than the last- 

 named, and breeds in the same place and at the same time : 

 full sets of eggs were found on April 27th. It is also much 

 tamer and will sit quietly whilst you Avait within a few yards, 

 though this is not necessary to identify the eggs, which are 

 always much lighter in colour than those of the Little Egret 

 or the Night-Heron. 



Nycticorax gkiseus. 



Local, and breeds later than the above-mentioned species. 

 On our first visit to the Heron-colony (April 27th) the Night- 

 Herons had hardly begun to lay, and none were sitting. On 

 May 14th we watched several to their nests, which contained 

 from three to four (we never saw five) slightly incubated 

 eggs. The nests were placed rather high up in the bushes, and 

 when disturbed the birds did not return readily. These eggs 

 aie valueless if not identified, for they cannot with certainty 

 be distinguished from those of the Little Egret, though they 

 arc generally a little larger. 



Ardea ralloides. 



The Squacco is the rarest of the Spanish Herons ; it was 

 breeding in the aforesaid colony, but rather later. Li April 

 we did not see a bird, but on May J 4th we found several nests 

 with from three to six eggs, all fresh. The nests are better 



