484. BRITISH BIRDS. 
peculiarity of their structure was that nearly all the twigs radiated from 
the centre. The nests were rather deep, but the sides were so thin that 
the eggs could be seen from the level. It is difficult to give exact 
measurements of nests formed on this plan, but the thick part of the 
nest was about ten inches across. 
The Little Egrets were very noisy, and their notes of alarm or defiance 
resembled the syllables ak, ark, and ork. It was a most wonderful sight, 
the varied cries of the birds, the incessant flapping of wings, the continual 
flight of birds overhead, the unusual spectacle of long-legged waders 
perched on the slender branches of willow trees, the smell (which reminded 
me of that of a colony of Cormorants), the dense tangle of branches over- 
head, and the novel sensation of bird’s-nesting in three feet or more of 
water, which made it impossible to stoop, and the enormous numbers of 
nests, all combined to form a scene of intense interest. We found hun- 
dreds if not thousands of eggs in the nests, and after we had taken as 
many as we wanted, we lunched on the spot, and then turned out of the 
boat in the water to stroll once more through the novel scene, to smoke 
a cigar amongst the flapping of Herons’ wings, and to shoot an example 
of each of the species, which we had not the slightest difficulty in doing, 
for the complete identification of the eggs. 
The eggs of the Little Egret are from three to six in number, and 
uniform bluish green in colour. They vary in length from 1:9 to 1:65 
inch, and in breadth from 1°4 to 1:25 imch. On an average they are 
smaller than eggs of the Night-Heron ; but small eggs of the latter 
species are indistinguishable from large eggs of the Little Egret. The 
eggs of the Squacco Heron are much smaller. Only one brood is reared 
in the season. 
A fortnight later we visited a second colony of Little Egrets, breed- 
ing in company not only with the Night-Heron and the Squacco Heron, 
‘but also with the Common Heron and the Pigmy Cormorant ; and we 
were informed that they sometimes make their nests on the bent-down 
reeds, in company with the Ibis and the Great White Egret. As soon as 
the young are fledged they leave the nests to perch on the neighbouring 
branches, where they are fed by their parents. In Ceylon and Southern 
India this bird begins to breed in December ; but in Northern India it 
lays its eggs in July. 
The Little Egret is an exact miniature of the Great White Egret, but 
it has two long narrow white feathers in the crest. “Whew fresh killed 
the Little Egret is one of the most beautiful birds to be found; the snowy 
whiteness of the plumage contrasts with the black bill, and the lores 
and the space round the eye are bare of feathers, the flesh being a beauti- 
ful lavender colour. Irides pale lavender; legs blue-black, feet suffused 
with yellow, claws black, The female resembles the male in colour, but 
