470 Lieut. Wardlaw Ramsay’s Notes 
eggs and placed them in the nest of a species of Ploceus for 
safety; hut one of the eggs hatched in transit. I gave the little 
bird into the charge of a common Hen, little thinking that she 
would adopt it. She took the greatest care of it, and showed 
great wrath if anybody attempted to touch it. On the morn¬ 
ing of the eleventh day, however, the little creature died. 
When just out of the shell it devoured worms greedily. 
The young bird when four days old had the upper surface 
of the body intense dark chestnut and the lower parts whitish 
brown. Legs livid; bill fleshy yellow, whitish at tip. 
In the adult specimens the irides are reddish orange; bill 
and coronal skin greenish glaucous; skin of the face and 
neck pale brick-red; legs fleshy pink, brownish in front. 
594. Ciconia EPISCOPUS. 
Tonghoo. 
596. Leptoptilus aegala. 
The Adjutant is extremely abundant in certain parts during 
the dry season. 
In January 1874 I found these birds very abundant on the 
Pegu plain, which is intersected in all directions by creeks, 
in which fishing is carried on on a large scale by the Burmese. 
The fish are caught in weirs made of bamboo ; and to these 
weirs the Adjutants resort in large numbers in company with 
crowds of other birds, the whole presenting a most wonderful 
spectacle. I trust I may be excused for taking the following 
extract from my note-book, descriptive of one of these fishing- 
places :— 
“ Seena aurantia and Sternula javanica are hovering about 
in clouds and darting into the water, which is teeming with 
fish, the Pariah and Brahminy Kites look down approvingly 
from the top of every available stake, whilst little Alcedo 
bengalensis sits quietly by himself, ever and anon making a 
dart at some luckless fish. The water itself is covered with 
Pelicans and Cormorants. The shore is white with Egrets; 
but here and there an old Cormorant may be seen sitting 
among them, with outspread wings, drying himself in the sun; 
and, last but not least, the huge Adjutants stalk abouPmajes- 
