442 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



ledge of the local names, even when combined with showing them 

 coloured drawings, is of very little use. After nearly a fornight's 

 hard work, with no results, I turned my back on this place, in- 

 tending to try another locality which seemed to promise some 

 chance of success. Before I left, however, I had succeeded in 

 photographing A. alba while feeding near to the town very early 

 in the morning, and in securing some characteristic positions 

 of this most beautiful and stately member of the Heron family. 



It is true that sometimes A. alba assumes an ungraceful and 

 stiff attitude, especially when the long neck is held upright and 

 inclined rather forward ; but at other times, and especially when 

 the neck assumes an S-like curve, the bird is extremely graceful in 

 its snowy white plumage. The back-plumes project over the tail, 

 giving it somewhat the appearance of a Crane. Its method of 

 fishing is quite different from that of cinerea ; while the latter 

 stands motionless and expectant waiting for its prey to approach 

 within reach of its dagger-like beak, alba stalks rapidly through 

 the water, snapping here and there as it goes at any small fry it 

 may see. The stomach of one I shot was very much distended, 

 but contained nothing larger than a stickleback. Once I had 

 the opportunity of watching Little Egrets (A. garzetta), alba, and 

 cinerea, together, and could compare the habits of the three 

 species at the same time ; garzetta was even more active than 

 alba, running through the water, and sometimes using its wings 

 to help itself along when it saw anything good two or three 

 yards away. 



The fresh locality for more than a fortnight only provided the 

 usual disappointments. The promise of a good " baksheesh " 

 for any news of a nest only resulted in making short expeditions 

 which led to nothing. At last, one day (May 27th), after wading 

 through some large reed-beds, I was making my way back to the 

 boat, utterly exhausted with hunger and fatigue, when I heard 

 the unmistakable croaking and grunting of nesting Herons. On 

 firing my pistol several Common Herons got up, but with them 

 were some White ones, and I knew that I had at last hit on a 

 nesting-place. The sight gave me fresh strength, and for another 

 hour I fought and struggled through the reeds. The water was 

 over waist-deep, though the bottom was firm and fairly level. But 

 the reeds were immense. Each step was only accomplished by 



