378 SQUACCO HERON. 



Southern Europe, from spring to autumn. In Spain it arrives in 

 April, though in the valley of the Danube it does not do so 

 before the middle of May. From the Canaries we find it 

 numerous and resident in North Africa — including Egypt, and it 

 inhabits that vast continent as far south as Namaqua Land, the 

 Transvaal and Natal ; while the late Sir Edward Newton obtained 

 it in Madagascar. Persia appears to be its eastern limit in Asia. 



The Squacco Heron breeds in colonies, in company with other 

 members of the family; building a slight nest of sticks, on bushes 

 or trees in flooded marshes. Mr. W. E. Clarke in Slavonia, and 

 Messrs. Seebohm and Young on the Lower Danube, found eggs by 

 ^Liy 26th ; in Andalucia, however, Mr. R. B. Lodge found nests with 

 their full complement by ^Nlay 8th in 1897. The 4-6 eggs are 

 greenish-blue — smaller and darker than those of the Buff-backed 

 Heron: measurements i"5 by i"i in. Li its breeding-haunts this 

 species is very pugnacious towards its congeners. The food consists 

 largely of water-beetles and other insects, small crabs, molluscs, frogs, 

 minute fish, and occasionally small mammals : an entire shrew having 

 been found in the crop of one examined by the late Mr. Rodd. In 

 its habits this bird is somewhat inactive, passing the greater portion 

 of the day in one position, the head being drawn in between the 

 shoulders like that of a Bittern ; and in Spain Col. Irby noticed 

 that it did not frequent the grazing-grounds after the manner of the 

 Buff-backed Heron. It is usually very silent, but occasionally 

 utters a harsh rarr. In dry seasons the nuptial dress is sometimes 

 not assumed until late in the spring, and in Andalucia in 1868 (a 

 very dry season) I found that even on May 21st some birds were 

 still rather bare on the neck. 



The adult in breeding-plumage has the head and hind neck pale 

 buff, streaked with dark lines ; the occiput furnished with eight or 

 nine long lanceolate plumes, which are pure white in the centre 

 and margined with black ; sides and front of the neck warm buff; 

 back more vinaceous ; dorsal plumes elongated and filamentous ; 

 wing-coverts pale buff; rest of plumage white; bill cobalt-blue at the 

 base, black at the point ; lores naked and green ; irides yellow ; legs 

 yellowish-pink ; soles yellow. Length 20 in. ; wing 9 in. In the 

 immature plumage — ^most frequently seen in this country — the streaks 

 on the neck are longer and broader, and the ground-colour is mixed 

 with ashy-brown ; the back, and the ends of the inner secondaries 

 are wood-brown ; and the younger the specimen the darker are the 

 feathers alon2; the middle of the back. 



