470 Lieut. Wardlaw Ramsay's Notes 



eggs and placed them in the nest of a species of Ploceus for 

 safety ; but one of the eggs hatched in transit. I gave the little 

 bird into the charge of a common Hen, little thinking that she 

 would adopt it. She took the greatest care of it, and showed 

 great wrath if anybody attempted to touch it. On the morn- 

 ing of the eleventh day, however, the little creature died. 

 When just out of the shell it devoured worms greedily. 



The young bird when four days old had the upper surface 

 of the body intense dark chestnut and the lower parts whitish 

 brown. Legs livid ; bill fleshy yellow, whitish at tip. 



In the adult specimens the irides are reddish orange ; bill 

 and coronal skin greenish glaucous ; skin of the face and 

 neck pale brick-red ; legs fleshy pink, brownish in front. 



594. CicoNiA EPiscopus. 

 Tonghoo. 



596. Leptoptilus argala. 



The Adjutant is extremely abundant in certain parts during 

 the dry season. 



In January 1874 I found these birds very abundant on the 

 Pegu plain, which is intersected in all directions by creeks, 

 in which fishing is carried on on a large scale by the Burmese. 

 The fish are caught in weirs made of bamboo ; and to these 

 weirs the Adjutants resort in large numbers in company with 

 crowds of other birds, the whole presenting a most wonderful 

 spectacle. I trust I may be excused for taking the following 

 extract from my note-book, descriptive of one of these fishing- 

 places : — 



" Seena aurantia and Sternula javanica are hovering about 

 in clouds and darting into the water, which is teeming with 

 fish, the Pariah and Brahminy Kites look down approvingly 

 from the top of every available stake, whilst little Alcedo 

 bengalensis sits quietly by himself, ever and anon making a 

 dart at some luckless fish. The water itself is covered with 

 Pelicans and Cormorants. The shore is white with Egrets ; 

 but here and there an old Cormorant may be seen sitting 

 among them, with outspread wings, drying himself in the sun ; 

 and, last but not least, the huge Adjutants stalk about majes- 



