2&4 A HAND-BOOK OF THE MANAGEMENT OF ANIMALS 



chiefly fed upon the latter; most of the storks are destructive to 

 snakes, but in captivity the white-necked stork, or the "manickjor," 

 has been particularly noticed to kill and devour common grass 

 snakes (Tripiclonoius siolatus) on many occasions, and once a young 

 cobra. The food of the flamingos in captivity consists of bran 

 and barley (baj'rah) mixed with water ; some of them also become 

 accustomed to, and thrive on, boiled rice ; like the pelican ibis, they also 

 search for food by stirring up the mud at the edge of the tank, and 

 much of the success in keeping them depends upon the place where 

 they can have opportunities of finding their own food. 



Breeding. — None of these birds have ever bred in captivity, but for 

 the last few years large numbers of egrets have been regularly breeding 

 in a wild state within the garden, selecting for this purpose a large 

 island overgrown with trees, shrubs and undergrowths. 



Transport. — Flamingos and black- necked storks are sometimes 

 very cruelly treated during the transit by rail, lasting sometimes for 

 two or three days ; their legs are bent and drawn up under the body, 

 and a piece of gunny or old canvas tied round the whole ; the practice 

 is most reprehensible. 



Observations on their habits. 



A healthy spoonbill is an active, playful bird, and fond of exhibit- 

 ng its amusing antics ; the movement of its bill sideways, when feed- 

 ng, is very noticeable. The pelican ibis is sometimes heard to clatter 

 is long and strong mandibles at night ; its method of searching food 

 has already been noticed. The shell ibis has unfortunately been found 

 to be listless and morose, perhaps from want of suitable food. The 

 black-headed, glossy and scarlet ibises become wonderfully tame in a 

 short time, and are very inquisitive ; they pass a great deal of their 

 time, in the morning and evening, in searching for their own food in 

 shallow water, but when not otherwise employed they roost on perches. 

 The herons and egrets are quarrelsome birds ; the storks and the 

 pelican ibises have a very comical way of spreading out their wings 

 after a morning ablution. The flamingos move with wonderful swift- 

 ness and ease across water, from one end of a tank to another, using the 

 wings for support and the legs for motion, and although the whole 

 movement is most rapidly performed, each stroke of the foot is dis- 

 tinctly heard. The storks have sometimes been observed to treat a stick 

 or a twig like a snake : it holds the object between the mandibles and 

 beats it in the same manner as it does a snake. 



(267) THE LAEGE COEMOEANT. 

 (PHALACEOCOEAX CAEBO-(Zmw.) ) 

 Hindi — Gho~gu r. Pani-kowa. 

 In captivity they do not assume their breeding plumage regularly.^ 

 Hab.— Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia. The range of its distri- 

 bution is said to extend also to North America. Not very common in 

 Lower Bengal, and rare in south of India ; more abundant in North- 

 West India, and in the rivers of the Himalayas. 



