BREEDING SEASONS OF CEYLON BIRDS. 31 



{Acrocephalus stentorious) nest in March, when the weather 

 has become settled. 



Some aquatic birds, such as the Whisthng Teal {Dendrocygna 

 javanica), and the White-breasted Moor-hen {Amaurornis 

 phanicurus) build either in trees, or in the long grass and 

 rushes of swamps. In the North-Central Province the Teal 

 breed mostly in the hollow forks of the large kumbuk trees 

 which grow round every village tank, and they nest soon after 

 Christmas. I once found a nest in the long grass near a 

 swamp in the Tangalla district. That was in the month of 

 July, very late m the season. On the other hand, I have 

 generally found the White-breasted Moor-hen [Amaurornis 

 phcenicurus) breeding from May to August and constructing a 

 weed-nest among the rushes ; but I once found the bird breed- 

 ing in November soon after the rains had begun. On that 

 occasion the nest was a huge saucer-shaped affair of twigs 

 placed in a bush several feet above the spill level of the tank. 

 So it would seem that birds which nest either in trees or 

 among rushes will begin to breed early on in the season if they 

 choose trees, but if they nest in a swamp they wait until it is 

 safe for them to do so. 



Birds too will suit their breeding seasons to modifications 

 such as those caused by irrigation schemes. The lagoons 

 between Raima and Ambalantota used to be mere salt pans. 

 Now they receive all the tail-water from several thousand 

 acres of paddy land irrigated by the Udakiriwila and Walawe 

 schemes. These paddy fields come right down to the edge of 

 the lagoons , which are now almost fresh water swamps. There 

 are two harvests of paddy in the year, roughly in March and 

 July. As the paddy ripens, the food supply, both of insects 

 and grain, is very abundant, and the swamps are fairly full 

 of the tail-water. So it is not surprising to find that many 

 birds, which normally have only one brood here, nest regularly 

 twice in the year. I can always discover the eggs of the 

 Purple Coot {Porphyrio poliocepJialus) , the Moor-hen {Gallinula 

 chloropus), and of the Clamorous Reed-warbler {Acrocephalus 

 stentorius) both in March and July. In the heronries on the 

 lagoons the Herons and Cormorants also breed twice a year, 

 but a little earlier. 



