LEPTOPTILUS. 



373 



Habits, fyc. The banks of large rivers, tanks and marshes are 

 the usual resort o this great bird, which is generally seen singly 

 or in pairs. Like other Storks it feeds on fish, reptiles, frogs, 

 crabs/mollusks, &c. It breeds from October to December, makes 

 a huge pile of sticks, lined with rushes, grass, &c., on a tree, and 

 lays usually four white eggs measuring about 2'91 by 2'12. 



Genus LEPTOPTILUS, Less., 1831. 



Bill very large, high at the base, tapering gradually, culmen and 

 commissure nearly straight, culineu as long as the tarsus or longer ; 

 nostrils small, narrow, near the culmen. Head and neck nearly 

 naked, having only a few scattered hair-like feathers ; crown 

 absolutely nude. 



There are three species of this genus, inhabiting Africa and 

 Southern Asia. All are very large birds. Two are Indian. 



Key to the Species. 



a. A gular pouch ; larger, wing 32 in., tarsus 13 .. L. dubius, p. 373. 



b. No gular pouch ; smaller, wing 26 in., tarsus 10'5. L.javanicus, p. 374. 



1550. Leptoptilus dubius. The Adjutant. 



Ardea dubia, Gmel Syst. Nat. i, p. 624 (1788). 



Ardea argala, Lath. 2nd. Orn. ii, p. 6/6 (1790). 



Ardea gigantea, Forster, Faun. Ind. p. 11 (1795), descr. nulla. 



Leptoptilus argala, Blyth, Cat. p. 277; id. J. A. S. B. xxiv, p. 279 ; 



id. Ibis, 1861, p, 268 ; Jerdon, B. I. iii, p. 730 ; Beavan,Ibis, 1868, 



p. 396 j Hayes Lloyd, Ibis, 1873, p. 418 ; Blyth fy Wald. Birds 



Burin, p. 158; Butler, S. F. iv, p. 21 ; Fan-bank, ibid. p. 263; 



Wardl Rams. Ibis, 1877, p. 470 ; Hume Sf Dav. S. F. vi, p. 468 ; 



Bingham, S. F. vii, p. 25 ; Butler, ibid. p. 187 ; Ball, ibid. p. 229; 



Cripps, ibid. p. 306 ; Hume, Cat. no. 915 ; Butler, S. F. ix, p. 432 ; 



Reid, 8. F. x, p. 73 ; Davidson, ibid. p. 323 ; id. Jour. Bom. N. H. 



Soc. i, p. 176 ; Gates, B. B. ii, p. 262 ; id. in Hume's N. $ JE. 2nd 



ed. iii, p. 260 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 374 ; Hume $ Cripps, S. F. 



xi, p. 330. 

 Leptoptilus dubius, Hume, S. F. i, p. 252 ; Adam, ibid. p. 398 ; Ball, 



S. F. ii, p. 432 ; Oates, 8. F. iii, p. 346 ; Shar-pe, Cat. B. M. xxvi, 



p. 315. 

 Leptoptilus giganteus, Oates, S. F. vii, p. 50. 



Hargila, Garur, Peda-dhauk, H. ; Dusta, Dakhani ; Chaniari dhauk, 

 Beng. ; Pinigala-konya, Tel. ; Don-zat, Burm. 



Coloration. Adult in breeding-plumage. Head, neck, and pouch 

 nearly naked, a few scattered dark brown feathers only occurring ; 

 a ruff of white feathers round the base of the neck ; upper plumage, 

 wings, and tail black with a slight green gloss, greater wing-coverts 

 and tertiaries silvery grey ; lower parts white, the under tail- 

 coverts soft and downy. In non-breeding plumage the tertiaries 

 und greater coverts are black like the rest of the wing. 



Young birds have the greater wing-coverts and tertiaries brown. 



Bill pinkish flesh-colour; skin of head and chin pale reddish 

 brown, rough and blackish on the forehead ; neck saffron-yellow, 



