1134 AEDEA PURPUREA. 



in Spain and Portugal, breeding in large numbers, but does not remain throughout the winter. It arrives 

 near Gibraltar, according to Col. Irby, about the -ith of April. It is tolerably common in France in the 

 summer, and is found in Holland and Belgium, but has not been met with in Denmark, though it has occurred 

 once in Sweden. In Northern and Central Germany it is rare, and to the eastward has not been found at 

 all in Central Russia. It is a rare straggler to Great Britain, having been met with, writes Mr. Dresser, in 

 most of the southern counties, and has been obtained in Scotland as fay north as Wick. Concluding with 

 Africa, we find Favier recording it as a summer visitor to Morocco; and it is resident, according to Loche, 

 in Algeria. In Egypt it is a resident and plentiful in some parts, Capt. Shelley instancing the lake of 

 Birket el Koni as being frequented by it in great numbers. Von Heuglin found it all over North-east Africa — 

 throughout the year on the Red Sea coasts, in July and August at Massowa, in autumn on the Somauli 

 coast, and in winter and spring in Abyssinia up to 9000 feet. It has been obtained on the Zambesi, and in 

 the Transvaal it is common, Mr. Buckley finding it breeding there. In Madagascar it has been met with by 

 Messrs. Roche andE. Newton ; and in Cape Colony Layard found it common in all marshy places. InDamara 

 Land Mr. Andersson obtained it on the rivers Okavango and Teoughe and at Lake Ngami, and on the west 

 coast of the continent it has been recorded from Casamanse and Bissao. It must needs be abundant in this 

 region in some localities hitherto unexplored, as all the birds which pass southwards from Spain and Morocco 

 in the autumn must winter in West and South-west Africa. I find no record of its occurrence in the Cape 

 Yerds; but in Madeira Mr. Godman says it is found, as also in some of the Western Islands or Azores. 



Habits. — This handsome Heron frequents marshes more than the banks of streams or margins of lakes, 

 and is particularly fond of tracts of ground covered with long grass and rushes, and interspersed with small 

 water-holes, by the side of which it watches for fish and frogs. I have more than once detected it at a long 

 distance by perceiving its long neck and head peering above the tops of reeds and rushes, and have been 

 able thus to stalk it. Jerdon observes the same habit, and says that its head and neck looking like a snake 

 when in this position has suggested for it its Telugu name. Like the last species, it is seldom seen in company 

 with other Herons ; and for the most part I have observed it to be solitary, for more than two or three I 

 have never seen in any marsh together. It often feeds by night, particularly when the moon is up, when it 

 stalks along the edges of streams and water-holes in swamps. It is a very shy species, except when breeding, 

 at which time it will perch readily in trees close to the observer. It roosts on islands, or in any out of the 

 way unfrequented localities, in some of which I have found it resorting to low trees or tall scrub to perch 

 on ; but in places where it abounds the Pandanus, or screw-pine, is selected by choice. 



The flight of the Purple Heron is buoyant but slow, and performed with heavy flappings of its ample 

 wings ; it often soars for a short time like the Common Heron. When alarmed it rises with a loud call, 

 which is very like that of the Common Heron, but more guttural. 



Nidification. — This Heron breeds in the Western Province in the vicinity of Bolgodde Lake, the marshes 

 round which it permanently inhabits. I found it nesting there in an impenetrable Pandanus-thicket in the 

 month of December ; but I was unable to ascend the trees to the nests, which appeared to be formed by bending 

 down the leaves of the screw-pine, and on the platform thus formed laying dried reeds and flags. Mr. Hugh 

 Nevill, C.S., who found it breeding in a similar locality near the Puttalam Lake, describes the nests as made 

 in this manner; and it seems, therefore, that this expedient is generally resorted to when breeding in screw- 

 pines. A few pairs were nesting at Uduwila tank near Kirinde in March 1872, but the young were all 

 hatched out. In the north I have found the eggs in December but slightly incubated. At Kodiyam Kulam 

 there were about a dozen pairs breeding, the nests being made on the same trees as those of Herodias alba. 

 They were large structures of sticks, more bulky than those of the Grey Heron ; the upper surface was only 

 slightly hollowed, there being scarcely enough depression to keep the eggs from rolling out ; and indeed, at 

 Bolgodde, I found an egg on the ground, which had probably fallen on this account from the nest. Three is the 

 usual number of eggs in a nest, but in some I only found two. They are rounded ovals, as those of the last 

 species, but they are occasionally pointed at one end. A specimen before me resembles a Gull's egg in shape 

 and measures 2"19 by 1*55 inches. The eggs are paler than those of the Grey Heron, being very light bluish 

 green and some almost bluish white; they vary in size from 2-05 to 223 in length by 1-5 to 1-6 in breadth. 



