PURPLE HERON. 475 
The food of the Purple Heron is composed largely of fish ; but this fare 
is varied with water-insects and their larvee, mice, rats, and frogs. This 
prey it captures by silently waiting and watching for it in some secluded 
part of its haunt; darting now at a little fish swimming past, or a frog 
that has unwittingly approached too near. It is not improbable that this 
bird occasionally leaves the cover at night and repairs to the drier and open 
land near its haunt, to hunt for the small mammals that are known to 
form part of its fare. It obtains much of its food during the night, 
especially if there is a moon, when it may sometimes be noticed stalking 
solemnly along the gloomy margins of pools. It is said often to roost on 
small islands, and occasionally to resort to a low tree or tall shrub. 
The valley of the Danube is the most northern locality where the Purple 
Heron breeds regularly, and even there it is generally found in isolated 
pairs, fresh eggs being obtained during June. In South-west Russia 
Gobel found it breeding in small colonies at about the same date. It is 
a much more tropical bird than the Common Heron, and is much less 
gregarious in its habits during the breeding-season. Mr. Ayres found it 
breeding in the Transvaal, and remarks that frequently five or six pairs 
breed in company, placing their nests within five or six yards of each 
other. Hume remarks that in India fresh eggs have been met with as 
early as April and as late as August. Irby obtained eggs at Gibraltar 
during the latter half of April. In all these cases the nests were large 
structures, built of dead reeds, and resting upon bent-down reeds. Gobel, 
however, states that the foundations of the nests that he found were placed 
upon low willow bushes, from one to two feet above the level of the ground, 
and under the shelter of reeds. Oates found large colonies of these birds 
breeding in Burma in July and August, the nests being made of sticks, 
and placed on matted reeds near the surface of the water. On the other 
hand, Major Legge says that its breeding-habits in Ceylon are somewhat 
different. He states that it breeds in trees, in colonies, together with the 
Great White Egret. He obtained nearly fresh eggs in the north of Ceylon 
in December, and in the south of that island newly hatched young have 
been obtained in March. 
The nest of the Purple Heron is a large structure, two feet or more in 
diameter, and is very flat. The eggs are from three to five in number, 
and vary considerably both in size and shape, some being much more- 
rounded than others. They vary in length from 2°45 to 1:95 inch, and in 
breadth from 1:75 to 1:45 inch. They are greenish blue, and do not 
differ in colour or texture from those of the Common Heron, from which 
it is impossible to distinguish them, though on an average they are slightly 
smaller. The Purple Heron only rears one brood during the season. 
When the colony is disturbed the birds fly round, uttering loud cries. 
The Purple Heron is slightly smaller than the Common Heron, but 
