1897.] R. B. Sanyal — Note on the breeding of various Birds. 87 



appear later on, formidable rivals of the Night-herons as regards the 

 possession of the island. 



In point of the number of Night-herons the maximum was reached 

 during the cold weather of 1896. From several observations made 

 after sunset, when they would issue forth and wing tlieir way, in parties 

 of varying numbers, towards their feeding grounds, it was calculated 

 that between thirteen and fifteen hundred Niglit-herons must have 

 been living in the Island. The result of such a vast flock of birds 

 congregating together within a small area and with comparatively few 

 trees to give them shelter has been somewhat disastrous to the vege- 

 tation which, instead of being healthy and luxuriant, looks sickly and 

 bare. For the birds, therefoi-e, the place has lost much of its attraction. 

 Not finding the same shelter and hiding places among the almost 

 leafless branches of the trees, a great many of them have taken possession 

 of other trees and shrubs bordering the wafers. 



It has been already remarked that a large number of Night-herons 

 remained with the Paddy-birds during the summer of 1895, for the 

 purpose of breeding. In the following summer (1896), the number of 

 Night-herons that stayed for the same purpose was so great that the 

 Paddy-birds were obliged to abandon the Island for some time. Night- 

 herons seem to build everywhere ; on trees, on shrubs and in tufts of 

 reed-grass close to the ground. The nests are generally unsubstantial 

 and clumsy. Eggs have been collected as early as the latter end of May, 

 but they go on breeding till the end of July, or the middle of August. 



The majority of Night-herons return long before sunrise from 

 feeding excursions, and for some time, much fluttering and jostling 

 goes on in the Island. Stragglers are frequently seeu rapidly flying 

 and uttering at intervals the chai act eristic call-note tvak-wdk, from 

 which, as is well known, the species has derived its vernacular name. 

 During the cold winter mornings, they are very fond of sunning them- 

 selves, and look very conspicuous as they occupy every sunny spot oq the 

 trees or shrubs. If the tree or the shrub happens to be thickly covered 

 with leaves they are hardly seen during broad day-light. 



Latterly Cormorants have become as conspicuous, though not as 

 interesting a feature of the Island as Night- herons. For some time 

 before others came to live on the Island, a pair of them could, every now 

 and then, be seen disporting themselves in the water around the large 

 group of pandanus growing upon a smaller Island in the lake. It is 

 not unlikely that they attracted others, which having found the place 

 to their liking stayed on. The most interesting event, however, in 

 connection with the occupation of the Island by Cormorants is the 

 coming of a few Snake-birds (Flatus melanogastcr, (Penn.)) with them 



