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Mr. Aubyn Trevor-Battye



an island and got out and explored. It was a breeding place of the

Painted Storks, and, though the nesting season was apparently over,

many were sitting in the old nests as well as all about on the trees

and on the ground. They were in two states of plumage, the brown

of the immature birds and the pure white and pink of the old one.

The legs are very noticeable as they are a rosy flesh colour while

the long curved bill and the forehead are buttercup colour. Beautiful

as the birds looked on the trees they were still more striking when

they rose and flew round above the water ; for then one had the

contrast of the shining black wings.


Every now and then when passing near wet tracts of ground

one sees the splendid Large Egret (Herodias alba), a brilliant white

streak against the dark marsh. But a far commoner bird is the

Small Egret (Heroclias garzetta), which often associates with “ Paddy-

birds ” in the rice (or padhi) fields. In winter it would be impossible

at a distance to distinguish this from a smaller ally the Cattle Egret

(Bubulcus coromandus) which then is also white. I remember one

winter evening, in Ceylon, standing on the great band (dam) of the tank

of Kantalai, watching Pheasant-tailed Jaganas. The water, I suppose,

was low, for a great number of crocodiles had collected near the band.

There was relatively little open water but a great stretch of marsh

and weeds. A good many White Egrets were scattered about, and

at first I did not discover that each was standing on a buffalo, for

the buffaloes were nearly or entirely submerged. When a buffalo

rolled over the Cattle Egrets would try to do just what the juggler

does when he walks on a rolling barrel. Sometimes they succeeded,

but often they had to open their wings or even to get down altogether

till the rolling was finished.


What would India be without its Paddy-birds ! The Pond

Heron (Ardeola grayi ) is a friend of every day, and often as not

is a surprise and very invisible — it can stand so still. Then up it

gets and seems to be quite another bird, for then its white wings

and its white tail and body show sharply against the mud ; then it

drops and is again invisible.


In speaking of the Sarus Crane we have mentioned a jhil in

Rajputana. To be precise it was Kafasin, south of Udaipur. We

will now come back to the same jhil as our path has brought us



