FROM NORTH-WEST CEYLON. 485 



of the bird left little doubt as to its being the Black-necked 

 Stork, which is not very uncommon in the neighbourhood, 

 and well known by all the villagers. The eggs were taken 

 by another boatman and eaten. 



919.— Ciconia alba, JBeclist. 



December to February. — Captain Legge was quite justified 

 in thinking there must be a mistake in my identification of 

 this bird at Nikaweratiya, N. W. P., but nevertheless there 

 certainly was a colony of 15 or 20 pairs of White Storks 

 breeding at the tank in December 1878. Tantalus leucoce- 

 phalus has not been observed at the spot, and I am not aware 

 that it ever visits the neighbourhood. 



The nests were in two or three partly-submerged, dead, 

 thorny trees, standing in the upper part of the tank, and 

 several Cormorants (P. pygmceus) and Egrets (H. intermedia) 

 were breeding in the same trees, but, as a rule, at a less height. 

 Some of the Storks' nests were on the tops of the trees, others 

 near the ends of the higher branches, the highest being not 

 more than 18 feet above the water. They were constructed 

 of sticks and twigs, with a slight lining of twigs and stems 

 of weeds, and were larger and more substantial than those 

 of Ibis melanocephala ; the dimensions were not recorded. 

 The egg-cavity was slightly cup-shaped, so much so that the 

 young birds could not be seen from below unless their heads 

 were raised. In all the nests examined there were either three 

 well-incubated eggs, or three young birds, miniatures of 

 the adults, the bright red of their bills and legs being very 

 striking. While I was near the nests the old birds perched 

 on the tops of closely-adjoining trees. 



In shape the eggs resemble some of those of Ibis melano- 

 cephala, being elongated ovals, but they are only compressed 

 towards the small end, and not really pointed at it; the 

 angle is more acute at the large end. The shells are rouo-h 

 and glossless, miuutely pitted throughout, and in colour dull 

 white. Four eggs average 2*55" X 1*68". 



The Storks have since wholly deserted the tank, but in the 

 following season I discovered a small party breeding about 

 20 miles away, with a flock of Dissura episcopa, in a clump 

 of tall, leafy trees standing in another tank. During the day 

 they fed gregariously in neighbouring paddy-fields,* stragglers 

 returning occasionally to the breeding quarters. About half 

 an hour before dusk the whole party came in, and settled 



* Ibises would have fed in the tanks. Even supposing my identification of the 

 adults was wrong, which, however, I do not admit, what Ibis (or other Stork) has 

 young with snow-white plumage, black quills, and legs, feet and a straight, sharp- 

 pointed bill of a red colour ? 



62 



