THE SARUS. 5 
and they never venture into the latter, I think, except on busi- 
ness. Unlike most other birds they never fly for pleasure, 
but only to escape a possible or threatened danger, or when the 
quest of food or water requires them to move rapidly to a con- 
siderable distance. 1 have often watched a pair walk deliber- 
ately one, or even two, miles down to the waters’ edge over 
a grassy plain or meadow, or wide level, free from banks and 
hedges, carpeted with springing wheat, instead of flying down, 
as they could have done, in one-tenth of the time. If trees 
and banks and other cover intervene, they w2// fly, but only 
I think because they do not feel certain that some enemy may 
not be lurking behind these, and therefore, get on the wing soas 
to enable themselves to keep a better look-out as they proceed. 
Their call is very loud and sonorous, and may be heard at 
great distances, It is sounded at all seasons, and is uttered 
alike on the ground and during flight, but is most often repeated 
during the night and in the mornings and evenings. They 
always call when alarmed, both before and after rising, and 
during the night they seem to call continually. Whether, when 
darkness shrouds them from each other, they thus make sure 
that their mates are not playing truants, or, whether prowling 
wolves or jackals alarm them, I cannot say ; but in many parts of 
the plains of Upper India, if you are encamped within a 
couple of miles of any good-sized sheet of water, you are sure 
to hear their clear trumpet-like call, re-echoing at intervals, 
through the stillness, throughout the live-long night. 
From Burma, Mr. Davis sends me the following interesting 
note :— 
“In last August (1879) I saw several flocks of these birds 
every day in the Khendans, or rising ground opposite Thein- 
zeik, which is twelve miles north of Thatone. The flocks varied 
in size, from parties of 8 or 10 to fully 60. Asa rule, these birds 
live in pairs, and I was unable to ascertain the cause of their 
thus congregating, especially at thisseason. The flocks consisted 
of both sexes, and included young birds of the previous year. 
“T have found numbers of their nests about the end of 
August. Some of the young cannot fly, even as lateas Decem- 
ber, and I have often caught them by chasing them on foot. 
They are very cunning, and take advantage of the slightest 
shelter, but when run down in the open, bury their heads in the 
short grass, and make no further attempts to escape. They 
remain perfectly quiet even when lifted up. 
“They feed a great deal on the young paddy plant, and 
sometimes do considerable damage in the nurseries. .I have 
never myself noticed them feeding on anything else, though 
probably they do also eat other green shoots, grasshoppers, and 
frogs, and perhaps young fry, left stranded in the fields, but I do 
not think they catch live fish, although the young, when domes- 
ticated, are often fed by the Burmans on small fish and shrimps. 
