1118 X KXORHYNCHUS ASIATICUS. 



high ; and Mr. F. R. Blewitt, who watched the birds building this nest, told me that the birds took more 

 than a month building it, taking immense pains to finish it off. When it was nearly ready, they put a sort 

 of rim of clay all round the top of it ; the old birds descended alternately to the tank and brought up the 

 mud in their bills, and then standing on the nest, they seemed to manipulate and arrange it with the greatest 

 care with their long bills. These also hatched off three young." He remarks, however, that this was an 

 exceptional nest, as he never saw another like it. Four is the usual number of eggs, but sometimes five are 

 laid. They very often, he says, use the same nest year after year, but very commonly they build a new one. 



Mr. Hume further adds : — " These birds have a most remarkable method of paying delicate attentions, or, 

 it may be, merely of dancing. A pair will gravely stalk up to each other, and, when about a yard or two feet 

 apart, will stand face to face, extend their long black-and-white wings, and while they flutter these very 

 rapidly, so that the points of the wings of the one flap against the points of the other's wings, advance their 

 heads till they nearly meet, and both simultaneously clatter their bills like a couple of watchman's rattles. 

 This display lasts for nearly a minute, after which one walks a little apart, to be followed after a moment by 

 the other, when they repeat the amusement, and so on for perhaps a dozen times." 



Genus DISSTJRA. 



Much as in Ciconia, but with the neck-feathers soft or fluffy, and the upper tail-coverts 

 furcate, very stiff, the exterior feathers reaching to the tip of the tail. Forehead and face small. 



