484 BRITISH BIRDS. 



peculiarity of their structure was that nearly all the twigs radiated from 

 the centre. The nests were rather deep, but the sides were so thin that 

 the eggs could be seen from the level. It is difficult to give exact 

 measurements of nests formed on this plan, but the thick part of the 

 nest was about ten inches across. 



The Little Egrets were very noisy, and their notes of alarm or defiance 

 resembled the syllables ak, ark, and ork. It was a most wonderful sight, 

 the varied cries of the birds, the incessant flapping of wings, the continual 

 flight of birds overhead, the unusual spectacle of long-legged waders 

 perched on the slender branches of willow trees, the smell (which reminded 

 me of that of a colony of Cormorants), the dense tangle of branches over- 

 head, and the novel sensation of bird's-nesting in three feet or more of 

 water, which made it impossible to stoop, and the enormous numbers of 

 nests, all combined to form a scene of intense interest. We found hun- 

 dreds if not thousands of eggs in the nests, and after we had taken as 

 many as we wanted, we lunched on the spot, and then turned out of the 

 boat in the water to stroll once more through the novel scene, to smoke 

 a cigar amongst the flapping of Herons' wings, and to shoot an example 

 of each of the species, which we had not the slightest difficulty in doing, 

 for the complete identification of the eggs. 



The eggs of the Little Egret are from three to six in number, and 

 uniform bluish green in colour. They vary in length from T9 to 1*65 

 inch, and in breadth from 1*4 to 1'25 inch. On an average they are 

 smaller than eggs of the Night-Heron ; but small eggs of the latter 

 species are indistinguishable from large eggs of the Little Egret. The 

 eggs of the Squacco Heron are much smaller. Only one brood is reared 

 in the season. 



A fortnight later we visited a second colony of Little Egrets, breed- 

 ing in company not only with the Night-Heron and the Squacco Heron, 

 but also with the Common Heron and the Pigmy Cormorant ; and we 

 were informed that they sometimes make their nests on the bent-down 

 reeds, in company with the Ibis and the Great White Egret. As soon as 

 the young are fledged they leave the nests to perch on the neighbouring 

 branches, where they are fed by their parents. In Ceylon and Southern 

 India this bird begins to breed in December ; but in Northern India it 

 lays its eggs in July. 



The Little Egret is an exact miniature of the Great White Egret, but 

 it has two long narrow white feathers in the crest. When fresh killed 

 the Little Egret is one of the most beautiful birds to be found; the snowy 

 whiteness of the plumage contrasts with the black bill, and the lores 

 and the space round the eye are bare of feathers, the flesh being a beauti- 

 ful lavender colour. Irides pale lavender; legs blue-black, feet suffused 

 with yellow, claws black. The female resembles the male in colour, but 



