Page:The Common Birds of Bombay.djvu/199

Rh creeks and rivers of this coast, and if it is not often seen in Bombay, the reason is that it is afraid to show itself where its great enemy, man, is in such force. Even in quiet country places it learns to be very wary, for there is scarcely any waterfowl which is more sought after by native shikarees. The mouths of my Mussulman lascars water when they see one and many a time have I been urged to shoot that grand "shikar." Yet they will not eat Pond Herons at all, and are suspicious of even the White Egrets on account of the disreputable character of the Cattle Egret. The Blue Heron (Ardea cinerea) is a less sociable bird than the Egrets and does not generally go in flocks, but both at home and here they form "heronries" at nesting time.

One of the handsomest of the whole family is the Night Heron (Nycticorax griseus), but I need scarcely describe it here, because the chance of its being seen is small. It may be heard everywhere, uttering its loud wak as it flies overhead after darkness has set in. Strange to say, it keeps most promiscuous company at nesting time, consorting not only with other Herons but with Cormorants. As these feed in the day and it never goes abroad till night, they must be an unmitigated nuisance to each other, which may explain the incessant bad language that goes on at one of these nesting trees. I know a giant tree not ten miles from Bombay in which there is scarcely a space to spare in which a nest could stick. The ground underneath is strewn with eggshells and other less savoury fragments.