on the shore, who from dread or stupidity, or perhaps dislike to
the sufferer, do not move a finger to his rescue But, indeed, in
such situations, without ropes, or long bamboos, or floats ot
some description, what can be done ? To follow empty-handed
a person into such a trap, exposed not only to the tenacious
erasp of the weeds, but to the desperate clutch of the drownin
man, is but to ensure the death of two instead of one 1
I HAVE only found the eggs of this species in July and August, and
towards the end of the latter month the young are to be
seen about everywhere. I have seen many nests, all in mango
trees, in or at the edge of swamps or ponds, in hollows of large
decayed branches, and with very little or no lining (except
crumbling fragments of decayed wood) ; but it would appear
from the remarks of others quoted below, that these are by no
means the only situations they affect for nesting. I have never
found more than twelve eggs, and from eight to ten appear to
me to be the usual full complement.
Mr. F. R, Blewitt, writing from Jhansi, says of this species :—
" It breeds in July and August.
"Just above the village of Buragaon is a large lake from which
several eggs of this Goslet were brought. The eggs were
collected in the two months on different occasions. It makes a
semi-floating nest on the water, among the rushes or lotus
leaves, of weeds, grass, &c., all mixed together and piled up
several inches above the water level."
Dr. Jerdon says :—" It breeds generally in holes in old trees,
often at some distance from water, occasionally in ruined
houses, temples, old chimneys, and the like, laying eight or ten
(sometimes, it is stated, as many as fifteen) small white eggs."
Mr. A. Anderson remarks : "This species nests in holes of trees
and old ruins, and never, according to my experience, in old
nests or on the ground.
" I once had an opportunity of watching a pair in the act
of selecting their habitation. They invariably flew into the
tree together ; and while the female used to enter the hole, to
reconnoitre as it were, the male sat on a bough watching for
'her exit. No sooner did she make her appearance than they
both flew away together, giving utterance to a peculiar cackling
sound, which has been pronounced to be like the words " Fix
bayonets." Their visits used to be repeated at intervals of
every fifteen or twenty minutes. The Drake never went into
the hole ; and I am, therefore, inclined to believe that he does
not lend his aid in the performance of the duties of incubation.
" The greatest number of eggs laid by the Goslet, of which I
have a record, is twelve. This nest was taken by Mr, Spry at
Budaon in August last. The hole occupied was at no great
height; but it was three and a half feet deep, and only large
enough to admit of ingress and egress. The contents had to be
removed by means of an iron spoon, something like a soup
ladle with an extra long handle."
Mr. Cripps writes :—
" Very common in the districts of Dacca, Sylhet and Faridpur
during the rainy season, when they are found in the paddy
fields and ' bhils' in pairs and small parties. In all those
districts they breed in July and August, and invariably in
cavities in trees, and holes in buildings, making a rough pad
nest of fine grasses and twigs with feathers for a lining. I have
seen a nest in a hole of a date tree, only seven feet off the ground,
and alongside of a ryot's house, and I have taken the eggs out
of a niche in a factory chimney about 40 feet off the ground.
Eight is the greatest number of eggs that I have found in one
nest; these birds never nest at any distance from water."
In the northern parts of Ceylon this species also is said to
breed from January to March.
The eggs are oval, scarcely more pointed at one end than the
other. They are miniatures of those of the preceding species,
of a delicate ivory white colour, very smooth to the touch, but
scarcely so glossy as those of the Nukhta, and, as a rule, much
less liable to become soiled during incubation than those of
this latter species.
In length the eggs vary from i'54 to 175, and in breadth from
1*17 to 138 ; but the average of twenty-six is 1 7 by 1*29.
THE MALES arc rather larger than the females, and in both sexes
full-plumaged birds vary somewhat in size, probably according
to age.
Males.—Length, I2'62 to 13-5 ; expanse, 20'5 to 24-0 ; wing,
6'25 to 675 ; tail from vent, 2'82 to 325; tarsus, r o to ro6 ;
bill from gape, 108 to 1-25 ; weight, 8 ozs to nearly i r o ozs.
The irides vary from dark brown to crimson, the latter, I
believe, in the breeding season ; the legs and feet from light
yellowish to dirty sap green, with the webs and claws black ;
the bill in the breeding season black, at other times dark grey
above, yellowish on the lower mandible, and more like that
of the female.
Females.—Length, i2-5 to 1275 ; expanse, 2 r o to 22'0 ; wing,
6-25 to 6-37 ; tail from vent, 2'8 to 3-0 ; tarsus, ro to i'i ; bill
from gape, ro4 to 1'2 ; weight, 6-5 ozs. to 90 ozs.
The irides are dark brown. I do not know whether they ever
become red in this sex. The legs and feet dirty green ; webs
and claws black. I have no record of these parts being yellowish,
as they often are in the male, but perhaps they also
become so ; upper mandible dark greenish brown, lighter at the
sides ; lower mandible dull yellow, brownish pink towards the
sides.