562 Birds' -nesting in cmd around Lucknoiv. 



been peri'ectly still and silent_, suddenly sprang to life and the 

 air was filled with Cattle- and White Egrets eircling round in 

 all directions, the buff and snowy whiteness of the plumes 

 showing up beautifully in the sunshine. We soon had a fine 

 series of eggs, though we did not take one-quarter the 

 number we might have done. Those of A, coromanda are of 

 so light a blue as to be almost white, but those of A. inter- 

 media are much darker and resemble the eggs of A. cinerea. 

 To make sure that we were assigning the respective eggs to 

 the right parents, we shot a specimen or tAvo of each species on 

 its nest. The nests of the Egret were made of sticks lined 

 with leaves, and were much more cup-shaped than those of 

 the Paddy-bird. We met a birdcatcher who had in his 

 possession a White Egret with its eyes sewn up. This he 

 informed us was a decoy-bird, and that when he had 

 managed to secure any birds in breeding-plumage he 

 plucked out the plumes and released the captives. Doubtless 

 this must be uncomfortable for the Egret, to say the least of 

 it ; but it struck me that if it is absolutely necessary to have 

 Egret's feathers, it is a better way of obtaining them than 

 that which has resulted in the wholesale destruction of one 

 of the most beautiful of the feathered race. 



PoDiciPEs MINOR (Linuseus). Little Grebe. 



Hind. [Luchioiv] : Dhub Dhub. 



This species, though I have not seen it in Lucknow itself, 

 is very common on the tanks and jheels in the district. On 

 August 2nd we got three nests containing five, four, and one 

 egg respectively. The nests were the usual floating mass of 

 dead and decaying weed. The five eggs in one nest were 

 stained a deep chocolate-red, which only partially disappeared 

 on washing. Other nests were brought to us containing six 

 eggs. It is very difficult to watch these little birds on their 

 nests ; they slip into the water noiselessly the moment they 

 suspect danger, and hide away among the reeds. 



