264 cicomiDJB. 



How thankful 1 was I need not say, for I was rather ex- 

 hausted." * * * * 



Eecounting how he went on to another place, he proceeds : — " I 

 had by much questioning ascertained from our guides that the 

 most accessible point was on the south-west side of the hills, which 

 consisted of six or seven peaks joined by a continuous knife-like 

 ridge. Passing the overhanging rocks, we landed as soon as we 

 could find a suitable spot for getting on shore, as the tide was out, 

 and there was a long reach of deep mud to get across. A walk of 

 ten minutes across old deserted gardens overgrown with kyne grass; 

 past a ruined hut, put us at the foot of the hill. * * * * 



" At the top I found three more nests of Adjutants similar to 

 those of yesterday, with eggs. One bird I fired at, but after 

 sailing ofE apparently unhurt, I saw it fall a long way out in the 

 forest. 



" I was much struck by a curious noise the Adjutants made 

 when disturbed, a sort of loud grunting eroak, not unlike the low 

 of a buffalo. Slowly I worked my way along the ridge, rapidly 

 filling my basket with plants ; and finding several fresh but empty 

 nests of the Adjutants. One pretty brown-spotted yellow orchid 

 I found hanging in a tuft overshadowing one of the nests." 



The eggs seem to vary very much in size, and a good deal in 

 shape ; normally they are, I think, very perfect symmetrical ovals, 

 almost precisely the same size at both ends ; but many eggs are 

 decidedly compressed or pointed towards one end, and compara- 

 tively quite elongated, more or less pyriform, examples are met 

 with. 



The shell is very stout and hard, and although densely studded 

 with minute pores, that in some specimens are rather conspicuous, 

 it is, for the size of the egg, rather fine-grained, and is quite smooth, 

 in fact rather satiny to the touch, like that of the eggs of 

 Mycteria. 



When first laid the eggs are pure white, with perhaps a slight 

 greyish-greenish tinge, but very slight. As, however, incubation 

 proceeds they get stained and soiled to a degi'ee, so that most of 

 the eggs when ready to hatch off are a darkish, dingy, mottled 

 yellowish brown. 



Numerous eggs vary from 2-76 to 3-26 in length, and from 2-02 

 to 2-55 in breadth. 



Leptoptilus javamcus (Horsf .). The Lesser Adjutant. 



Leptoptilus javanica (Horsf.), Jerd. B. Ind. ii, p. 732 ; Sume, Cat. 

 no. 916. 



Mr. Gates procured some eggs of this Adjutant in Pegu. He 

 says : — " "While taking some nests of Leptoptilus giganteus, I sent 

 some of the party to look for accessible trees. They misunder- 

 stood me, and finding a tree which could be climbed, instead of 

 waiting for me, a man ascended and took two eggs, which he 



