560 Mr. W. Jesse — Birds' -nesting 



LoBiPLUviA MALABARiCA (Boclcl.). Yellow-wattled Lap- 

 wing. 



Hind. ILucknoivl : Titiri. 



This bird breeds locally from April to June on what are 

 known here as " usar maidans," that is, barren sandy plains 

 with stones and tufts of grass here and there. I have had 

 the eggs brought me on various dates in May and as late as 

 the 6th June : May is, I think, the month with this bird. 

 For a long time I was not quite sure of the authenticity of 

 these eggs, though I could not think of any other species to 

 which they might belong. On May 30th of this year, 

 however, we started a Lapwing off four eggs. Tliough we 

 were unable to secure the parent, owing to the high wind, 

 which prevented great accuracy with the rook-rifle, yet I 

 have no doubt about these eggs. I managed to get within 

 fifteen or twenty yards of the bird as it stood on a hillock, 

 and examined it carefully. The nest was a hole scraped in 

 the sand, the edge being fringed, as are the nests of the 

 Red- wattled Lapwing, with bits of earth and kunker. There 

 was of course no lining. Though not nearly so common as 

 L. goensis, I think it is scarcely so rare here as many people 

 seem to imagine. 



Grus ANTIGONE (Linn.). Sarus Crane. 



Hind. Saras. 



Owing to the absence of any large jheels, this bird does 

 not breed in the immediate vicinity of Lucknow. Lucas 

 took a nest near Aturia, on the line between Lucknow and 

 Sitapur, on Oct. 3rd. On Aug. 16th, as I was travelling to 

 the " Hills,^'' I saw two nests near Hardoi. The old Sarus 

 was sitting on one, but the other was in process of con- 

 struction, and it was very interesting to watch the bird 

 pulling up with its bill the wet weeds and piling them into a 

 great heap. Although the railway-line passed close to it, it 

 took no notice of the train, and when I last looked it was 

 still busy with its task, supremely indifferent to all external 

 affairs. 



