HYDEOPHASIANUS CHIEUEGTJS. 917 



on the broad " bejewelled "* leaves of which it delights to walk, for facile progression on which its remarkable 

 feet eminently adapt it. It may be said to form one of the principal ornithological features of the forest- 

 begirt tanks of Ceylon ; for though it is less conspicuous than the larger denizens of these beautiful but lonely 

 spots, yet its graceful form, its walking, as it were, almost on the water, and its singular mewing call, commend 

 themselves more than the attractions of other birds to the notice of the naturalist. 



After a long inarch through the shady forests of the Northern Province, and (if we have chanced to arrive 

 at the upper side of the tank) after threading our way through the low thorny jungle which invariably grows 

 on the seasonally- submerged part of the " Kulam/" we emerge from beneath the foliage, and find ourselves 

 suddenly face to face with a scene such as none but those who have penetrated into these wild haunts 

 of tropical bird-life can form any idea of. The weedy waste of water and the dark border of the primaeval 

 forest literally teem with birds, while ugly crocodiles are sleeping on the muddy slopes of the " bund," 

 and myriads of frogs basking in the glaring sun send forth their contented croakings. If we have cautiously 

 stepped into the open, and are standing partially screened by a spreading thorn tree, we have an opportunity 

 of seeing the various species either reposing or busily engaged in sustaining life. Close at hand stalk 

 about a dozen or more sombre-clad " Paddy-birds ; " further out, standing knee-deep in the more open water, 

 are an equal number of tall and snowy-white Egrets, with perhaps a grey Heron or two, quietly eyeing, with 

 gracefully curved necks, the surrounding water; and on the topmost branches of the lofty trees growing on the 

 opposite bund repose many more of the same birds, with probably two or three handsomely plumaged but 

 ungainly-looking Pelican Ibises, who, having made their morning meal, are complacently viewing the labours of 

 their less fortunate companions. Beneath this company of sentinels, on the lower outspreading branches, sit one 

 or two sturdy Buff-headed Kingfishers, their huge bills pointed downwards, waiting for a plunge into the dark 

 water beneath ; and on the largest and most out-reaching limb of a Koombook tree lurks the watchful tank- 

 Eagle (Spilornis spilo g aster) , who, though we cannot see him, has quickly espied us from afar, and is waiting, 

 with crest erect and with his glaring yellow eyes fixed on us, to glide off on the least sign of our moving. On 

 the branch of yonder fallen tree which stands out of the water sit half a dozen Lesser Cormorants with one or 

 two long-necked Darters, drying their expanded wings in the sun; and hard by, careless of the position of 

 their sable companions, are perched a pair of lovely little Kingfishers, who, with jerking tails and bobbing 

 heads, send forth their shrill little whistlings, and now and then dart down on the tiny fish. A flock of Teal 

 are slowly paddling along the edge of the open water, and others sitting on the rock which often rises from 

 the deepest part ; while last, but not least, numbers of elegant Water-Pheasants trip lightly over the glistening 

 Lotus-leaves which are crowded into one corner of the tank, some flying across little open reaches of water, 

 and others floating lightly on secluded parts, but all combining to give the finishing touch to the romantic 

 scene. 



But what a change in the picture ! Some coveted and hapless specimen is sure to be within shot among 

 this long list, and ere long a loud report echoes through the forest. Up start the white-winged Paddy-birds, 

 and with a tremendous splash the frightened crocodiles rush beneath the water, the noisy Kingfishers dart 

 from out the trees with discordant cries, the barred wings of the Eagle carry him quickly upwards, while the 

 Cormorants and Teal career round and round the tank, and the Egrets disappear with loud croaks over the 

 tops of the distant trees, and the affrighted Water-Pheasants, displaying their white wings, fly off to a place 

 of safety and give vent to their fears in loud mewing calls. 



But, to return from this long digression (which the memory of many such scenes forces upon the author) 

 to the consideration of the habits of the Water- Pheasant, it may be remarked that it is an extremely noisy 

 bird, particularly in the breeding-season, when the numbers which frequent such localities as I have just 

 described call to each other all night long, their plaintive and not unmelodious notes keeping up an incessant 

 nocturnal concert so loud that I have more than once, when sleeping on the borders of a tank, been kept 



* On nearly every Lotus-leaf is a sparkling drop of water, glistening like a crystal on its green surface. The 

 Thibetan Buddhists worship this. Dr. Henderson (' Lahore to Yarkand,' p. 47) found the words "Hail to the jewel in 

 the Lotus, hail ! " inscribed on stones which surmounted the piles called Manes in Thibet. 



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