372 Lieut. R. E. Vauglian and Staff-Surg. K. H. Jones 



encountered and in small trees, and several such occur on 

 tlie coast of the New Territory. The largest colony, how- 

 ever, is at Samshui, where they breed in the same bamboos 

 as the Night Herons, and as these are much earlier builders, 

 the Pond Herons have to take what nesting-sites they can 

 find, and one on a fallen bamboo, a few feet from the ground, 

 was noticed. 



The nests are made of fine bamboo or other twigs, and at 

 Sanishui do not outlive the winter gales, although less 

 crude in construction than a casual glance would lead one 

 to suppose. 



The eggs are usually four, rarely five, and vary much 

 both in shape and colour, even in the same clutch. 



Young birds have been found in the nests as late as 

 September 4, but it is doubtful whether this species is 

 double-brooded, seeing it has many enemies, so that these 

 may be merely belated broods. 



Eggs vary from 1"63 to 1"39 in length and from l'2G to 

 1*07 in breadth, and average 1"51 x 1*13. 



BUBULCUS COROMANDUS. 



This species is an occasional visitor on the spring and 

 autumn migrations. 



Ardetta sinensis. 



The Chinese Little Bittern is a summer visitor and a 

 breeding-species, and very common in suitable places, 

 especially by the sides of rced-grown creeks, in the Delta 

 country. It arrives in the middle of April, a few days 

 after the Cinnamon Bittern, and is very much more 

 plentiful; it leaves again in October, but a few individuals 

 always remain on the river for the whole winter. 



As soon as the Bitterns arrive they betake themselves to 

 their breeding-grounds, which are identical with those of the 

 next species in character, but far more extensive. This bird, 

 moreover, often makes its nest in the big river-reeds, which 

 A. cinnamomea never does; on the other hand, unlike the 

 latter, it never places its nest on the ground. 



