OF SOME BURMESE BIRDS. 167 



82.— Ardea purpurea, L. (924.) 



The Sittang river at a place near Myitkyo takes a sudden 

 turn to the west for five miles and then turns again to the east 

 for the same distance, thus forming a peninsula about 5 miles 

 long and 2 miles broad. The whole of this area is one vast dismal 

 swamp, the chief feature of which is a gigantic reed called 

 Kyu by the Burmese. This swamp in the rains becomes the 

 resort of myriads of birds, the nidification of which will be 

 noted below. It is possible to enter the swamp only durino- 

 the highest floods, for otherwise the reeds offer too great a 

 resistance to a canoe, and at the best the progress by polino- 

 is not more than 200 or 300 yards an hour. What wonders 

 the interior of the swamp could reveal I cannot say, for I 

 have never been able to penetrate it more than half a mile. 



The numbers of nests of all sorts met with is marvellous. 

 In pushing along the young fall, and eggs roll, into the canoe, 

 aud in some parts there must be a nest either of a Heron, 

 Bittern or Cormorant on every square yard of reeds. Three 

 nest frequeutly touch each other. 



The most numerous species is perhaps the Purple Heron. 

 It constructs a nest of sticks and the broken branches of the 

 reeds about a foot in diameter and eight inches deep, nearly 

 flat at top, and lays four or five eggs. The nest is placed 

 about four feet above the water, resting on three or four reed 

 stems which they or the wind have bent towards one point. 

 I took eggs on the 7th July and 1st August, but cannot state 

 the extreme limits of the breeding season. (N. & E., p. 611.) 



83.— Herodias alba, JO. (925.) 



Almost every tope of mangoe trees forms a breeding place 

 for these birds, which commence to build nests about the 

 middle of June. 



They also breed in large quantities in the swamp at Myitkyo, 

 making a similar nest to that of A. purpurea, and frequently 

 the two nests are in contact with a small Cormorant's next 

 door. (N. & E., p. 613.) 



84— Ardeola Grayi, Sykes. (930.) 



I have taken eggs of this species as early as the 31st May, and 

 some at this date were well advanced towards hatching. Most 

 birds frequent trees, but a few apparently nest in the reeds at 

 Myitkyo, though I did not see the nests. (N. & E., p. 619.) 



85.— Ardeiralla flavicollis, Lath. (932.) 



Breeds commonly in Lower Pegu. On 25th July found a 

 nest near the top of a bamboo bush where several branches met 



