OF MIGRATOllY WADERS AND WATER BIRDS. 173 



rare ; White-necked Stork [Dissura episcopa) scarce ; Grey 

 Heron {Ardea cinerea) scarce ; Purple Heron (Ardea purpurea) 

 scarce ; Lesser White Heron {Herodias torrd) common ; Little 

 Egret {Herodias garzetta) abundant ; Ashy Egret [Demiegretta 

 gularis) common; Shoveller {Spatida clypeata) one small flock; 

 Common Teal {Querquedula creeca) one or two considerable 

 flocks ; Little Cormorant {Phalacrocorax pygmceus) common ; 

 and Snake Birds (Plotiis melanogaster) common. 



I have omitted from the above list the common permament 

 residents, such as the Green Bittern and Pond Heron, Cattle 

 Egrets, Rails and Waterhens. 



I re-visited the same place in February 1879, spending about 

 a fortnight there. The change was most marked. The follow- 

 ing species recorded in the previous year, I missed altogether 

 from their accustomed haunts : — 



Golden Plover, Lesser Sand Plover, Jack Snipe, Curlew, 

 Whimbrel, Stilt, Purple Herou, Shoveller, and Common Teal ; a 

 few Golden Plover, Sand Plover and a very few Teal have, how- 

 ever, been got during the season in other localities. Common and 

 Pintail Snipe, Greenshank, Redshank, the three Pipers, Grey 

 Herons, White Herons, Little Egrets, Ashy Egrets, Cormorants, 

 and Snake Birds were all quite scarce. I saw one solitary and wily 

 Oyster Catcher, who fell a victim to a choke barrel at a long 

 range. Ill-natured people might perhaps account for this dearth 

 of birds by the fact that I had made too good use of my time 

 at this particular place during the preceding year. To this I 

 answer that, excluding Snipe and Golden Plover, my collection 

 of the previous year from this spot numbered only eighty speci- 

 mens, including numerous raptores, insessores and rasores. Be- 

 sides the same diminution has been observed by myself and 

 others throughout the district. 



Another fact worth mentioning occurs to me : In 1877, 

 during the cold weather, very large flocks of the Ashy Ringdove 

 (Turiur risoria) made their appearance in the northern portion 

 of the district. Not being permanent residents, or ordinary 

 visitors, their advent from the country above the Ghats was a 

 marked event. This year, as far as I can ascertain, not a 

 single bird was seen. On the other hand, the migratory warblers 

 were well represented, and the Rosy Pastor, or Towari bird, "v»ho 

 doesn't usually come in force, preferring the fat plains of the 

 Deccan, was exceptionally abundant. 



What is the true solution of this state of things ? Was it that 

 the rainfall of the year being everywhere proportionately heavy, 

 and the general area of inundated land consequently greater, 

 our shore and water birds, finding suitable feeding grounds 

 there, were detained further north, and had no necessity to 



