308 CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE ORNITHOLOGY OF INDIA. 



together, and I cannot recall ever seeing three or four ash- 

 colored herons without seeing a white one somewhere near 

 them ; but there is this to be noticed that the white ones are 

 infinitely more wary, so much so, that setting aside the young 

 bird obtained by Davison, we ourselves only succeeded in shoot- 

 ing one white adult against 32 ashy ones, though we were daily 

 seeing and trying to shoot the white ones. On the whole, the 

 conclusion I provisionally arrive at on this, avowedly, very im- 

 perfect evidence is, that the white birds are only a sort of 

 albinoid race of the dark ones, a race however that very com- 

 monly, if not invariably (and this remains to be ascertained) 

 produces offspring similar to itself ; that the dark birds gener- 

 ally have young colored like themselves, but sometimes white 

 ones more or less variegated with ashy, which as they grow up 

 may either assume the plumage of their parents, or join the 

 ranks of the white variety. We tried very hard to master 

 this problem, but without any marked success. 



Davison remarks : — l< I found this reef heron whenever I 

 went both at the Andamans and Nicobars, sometimes singly, 

 sometimes in pairs, or small parties, frequenting chiefly the 

 sea shore and rocks left bare by the receding tide, but also up 

 the salt water creeks. 



" At the Andamans, at least in Port Blair and its immediate 

 vicinity, it is not nearly so abundant as it is at the Nicobars. 

 At the Andamans it breeds on a small islet off Corbyn's Cove, 

 South Andaman. This islet is low and rocky, and is partially 

 covered at high tide ; about the centre it rises into a rugged 

 crag about fifteen or twenty feet high, full of crevices; it is 

 partially covered with coarse grass, and out of one side grows 

 a stunted ragged tree. In the crevices and in some of the larger 

 branches of the tree these birds build their nests, which are 

 simply platforms of sticks, with only a slight depression for the 

 eo-o-s. In the early part of May there were six nests on the 

 island, but I only obtained one egg ; the birds had not laid in 

 the others, though they had apparently ceased building — the 

 vicinity of these nests had a very disagreeable fishy smell. 

 All the herons I saw on this island were the dark ashy ones, 

 and one that was caught on her nest was also of the dark 

 variety. 



" At Trinkut Island the natives told me that they built their 

 nests on the cocoanut palms." 



To judge from those taken by Mr. Davison and others sent me 

 by Captain Wimberley, which were taken somewhat later in the 

 year, the eggs are of the ordinary heron type, moderately 



