THE HERONS* 183 



creeks and rivers of this coast, and if it is not often 

 seen in Bombay, the reason is that it is afraid to show 

 itself where its great enemy, man, is in such force. 

 Even in quiet country places it learns to be very wary, 

 for there is scarcely any waterfowl which is more 

 sought after by native shikarees. The mouths of 

 my Mussulman lascars water when they see one and 

 many a time have I been urged to shoot that grand 

 " shikar." Yet they will not eat Pond Herons at 

 all, and are suspicious of even the White Egrets 

 on account of the disreputable character of the Cattle 

 Egret. The Blue Heron (Ardea cinered) is a less 

 sociable bird than the Egrets and does not generally 

 go in flocks, but both at home and here they form 

 "heronries" at nesting time. 



One of the handsomest of the whole family is the 

 Night Heron (Nycticorax griseus], but I need scarce- 

 ly describe it here, because the chance of its being 

 seen is small. It may be heard everywhere, uttering 

 its loud wak as it flies overhead after darkness has set 

 in. Strange to say, it keeps most promiscuous com- 

 *pany at nesting time, consorting not only with other 

 Herons but with Cormorants. As these feed in the 

 day and it never goes abroad till night, they must be 

 an unmitigated nuisance to each other, which may 

 explain the incessant bad language that goes on at 

 one of these nesting trees. I know a giant tree not 

 ten miles from Bombay in which there is scarcely a 

 space to spare in which a nest could stick. The ground 

 underneath is strewn with eggshells and other less 

 savoury fragments. 



