38 THE SARUS. 
out to him to flap her in the face with his waist-cloth. This 
he did vigorously, and this being more than she could endure, 
she reluctantly crept off the nest, now complaining loudly, and 
joined the male. There was only one egg: this the man 
brought, but before he could reach me, the female had regained 
the nest, and after minutely examining it and making certain that 
the egg was gone, she stood up on the top, and with bill, legs, 
and feet commenced throwing the straw about in the air in the 
most furious manner as if beside herself with rage. Then the 
male came up trumpeting vigorously, but directly he came near 
she flew at 42, and he scrambled off half-running half-flap- 
ping through the water, and making more noise than ever. By 
this time I had received the egg, and found the point of the 
young one’s bill protruding, sosent the man back with it sharp. 
As he approached, the female ran off, but she must have seen 
what he was at, for before (having gently laid the egg in the 
disordered nest, which he smoothed a little), he could get off 
the island, the female was down upon the egg, sitting as if 
nothing had happened, but uttering a low chuckling sound such 
as I had never heard before. But the real joke was to see the 
male; the moment he perceived that the coast was clear and 
that his mate was again sitting, he came back to the nest and 
paraded round and round, his wings extended, his head in the 
air, trumpeting a ne pouvoir plus, clearly wishing her to believe 
that it was all his doing. 
I have heard many stories of these birds showing fight in 
defence of their penates, but this was the nearest approach to 
anything of the kind I ever witnessed, and, as a rule, both 
birds run away directly you get within twenty yards of the 
nest. 
With dogs it is different, and I have seen a large water-re- 
triever so buffeted, scratched, and cut in two minutes that he 
was fain to make off at his best pace, howling and yelping, and 
I have no doubt that foxes or jackals would fare equally ill. 
Capt. Butler says :—“ The hen bird, if sitting, leaves the nest 
when disturbed, very reluctantly, first raising her body gradually 
into an upright position, and then with head lowered almost 
to the ground walks in a half-crouching attitude slowly away 
from the nest. In the breeding season the two old birds 
may often be seen engaged in a kind of “nautch” which is 
very amusing to watch. They spread their wings and lower their 
necks until they look like two game cocks about to fight ; then 
allof a sudden they raise themselves and begin to dance, 
trumpeting loudly all the time. Then one, or both, spring high 
into the air, descending again to perform the same absurd 
antics.” 
I have often seen this “ nautch,’ as also the similar, but 
even more remarkable, one of the Loha-sarung, (Xenorhynchus 
asiaticus. ) : 
