476 EGRETTA RUSSATA. 



The bill and loral spaces are pale yellow ; the bare part 

 of the tibia is yellowish ; the anterior part of the tarsus and 

 toes dusky ; their hind part tinged with yellow ; the claws 

 black. The general colour of the plumage is white ; but the 

 feathers on the upper part and sides of the head, those on 

 the hind part and lower fore part of the neck, are of a 

 golden-ochrey tint ; as are the elongated plumes of the back, 

 of which the fore part is also tinged with the same colour ; 

 the fore part and sides of the neck are of a tint approaching 

 to cream colour, as is the fore part of the breast. 



Length to end of tail 20 inches ; bill along the ridge 2-^, 

 along the edge of lower mandible 3-^ ; wing from flexure 

 9-fg- ; tail 3^- ; bare part of tibia 1^ ; tarsus 3|- ; middle 

 toe 2^z, its claw -^. 



Female. — The female is similar to the male. 



Habits. — This species, according to Wagler, occurs in 

 Greece, Spain, and Italy ; in Persia, Egypt, Nubia, Cyprus, 

 and Senegambia ; is not unfrequent in Southern Africa, 

 common in Java, and, as it would appear, in New Holland. 

 Of its habits I find no account. 



Young. — An individual from Bengal in my collection is 

 as follows : — The general form and the proportions of the 

 parts are as described above. On the tibia are eight scu- 

 tella, on the tarsus eighteen, on the hind toe ten, on the 

 second eighteen, the third twenty-eight, the fourth twenty- 

 four. The claws are long, very slender, and finely pointed ; 

 the edge of the third with twenty -five teeth. 



The feathers are oblong or ovate, and rather blended. 

 There are no elongated decomposed plumes on the back. 

 The quills are thirty, besides eight numerals ; the third 

 longest, the second half a twelfth shorter, the first a twelfth 

 and three-fourths shorter than the second. When the wing 

 is closed, one of the inner secondaries is only two-twelfths of 

 an inch shorter than the longest primary. The tail is a 

 little emarginate, the lateral feathers being a twelfth and a 



