1 82 THE HERONS. 



snake. They build like the Pond Heron and often in 

 its company. 



About the same size as the Little Egret, but of a 

 slatey-grey colour, is the Ashy Egret (Demiegretta 

 asha). It is common enough, but haunts the sea- 

 shore rather than fresh waters, and is well named by 

 Dr. Blanford the " Reef Heron." 



There is yet another species, which is very easily 

 mistaken for the Little Egret, being white like it and 

 about the same size ; but it belongs to a lower caste 

 and its habits are not quite respectable, on which 

 account Mahomedans will not eat it. It lives princi- 

 pally on insects and follows cattle diligently when 

 they are grazing, for the sake of the grasshoppers 

 stirred by their feet, and also for the chance of useful- 

 ness in relieving the poor beasts of various small tor- 

 mentors. The cattle appreciate the kindness and 

 repay it by giving the birds the freedom of their backs. 

 Sometimes you will see a meek buffalo chewing the 

 cud, while a " Cattle Egret" stands on its head and 

 performs surgical operations on its ears. The name of 

 this species in Jerdon is Buphus coromandus. During 

 the monsoon its whole neck is clothed with plumes of 

 a rich orange buff colour, and you may easily distin- 

 guish it. In the cold season it is all white, but even 

 then you may always recognise it, if you get near 

 enough, by its yellow bill. The bill of the Little Egret 

 is black. It nests in company with Pond Herons and 

 other Egrets, laying paler eggs. The common native 

 name for all these birds is Bugla, but the Cattle Egret 

 is sometimes distinguished as Gai-bugla. 



The European, or Blue, Heron, which our fore- 

 fathers delighted to hawk, is not uncommon in all the 



