96 DB, J. shobtt's accottnt of a heeonet 



or more, and in a short time the trees are literally covered witli 

 bird- life : every part of the crown is hidden by its noisy occupants, 

 who fight and struggle with each other for perches ; each tree 

 appears like a moving mass of black, white, and grey ; the snowy- 

 white plumage of the Egrets and Curlews contrasting with, and 

 relieved by the glossy black of the "Water-crows and Darters and 

 by the grey and black plumage of the Storks. 



The nests lie side by side, touching each other ; those of the 

 different species arranged in groups of five or six, or even as many 

 as ten or twenty, on each tree. 



The nests are shallow, and vary in inside diameter from 6 to 8 

 inches, according to the size of the bird. 



The Curlews do not build separate nests, but raise a large 

 mound of twigs and sticks, shelved into terraces as it were ; and 

 each terrace forms a separate nest : thus eight or ten run into 

 each other. The Storks sometimes adopt a similar plan. 



The whole of the nests are built of sticks and twigs, interwoven 

 to the height of 8 or 10 inches, with an outside diameter of 18 to 

 24 inches ; the inside is slightly hollowed out, in some more and 

 iu others less, and lined with grass ; reeds and quantities of leaves 

 are laid on the nests. In January the callow young are to be 

 seen in the nests. During this time the parent birds are con- 

 stantly moving on the wing, backwards and forwards, in search 

 for food, now returning to their young loaded with the spoil, 

 and again, as soon as they have satisfied their cravings, going 

 off in search of a further supply. About the end of January 

 or early in February the young are able to leave their nests and 

 scramble into those of others. They begin to perch about the 

 trees, and by the end of Tebruary or the beginning of March 

 those that were hatched first are able to take wing and ac- 

 company their parents on foraging expeditions ; and a week or 

 two later, in consequence of the drying up of the tanks in the 

 vicinity, they begin to emigrate towards the north with their 

 parents and friends, except perhaps a few whose young are not as 

 yet fledged, and who stay behind some time longer. Thus, in suc- 

 cession, the different birds leave the place, so that it is completely 

 deserted by the middle of April, by which time the tank also be- 

 comes dry; and the village cattle graze in its bed, or shelter 

 themselves under the trees from the scorching heat of the midday 

 sun, while the cow-boys find amusement in pulling down the de- 

 serted nests. 



This village and tank are completely isolated from the public 



