4. HERODIAS. 



93 



on the 24th of June, not only has the dorsal plumes well developed, 

 but has the bill black, showing that it is in full breeding-plumage : 

 " bill, legs, and feet black, bare part of tibia reddish, bare skin of 

 face greenish blue, iris buff." Tarsus fr6, bill from gape 5-8. 

 Another male, procured on the 27th of June, had the tarsus 7'5, 

 biU from gape 5"9 : " bill black, bare skin of face bluish green ; 

 bare part of tibia fleshy, tarsus and feet black ; iris huffy yellow " 

 (C. T. BiMjham). 



Both females procured in June arc in breeding-plumage, with 

 the train of ornamental plumes well developed. According to 

 Major IJingham, the bird killed on the 13th had the tarsus 6-7, 

 and the bill from gape 5-65, with the following soft parts : " bill 

 black, skiu of face bluish green : tibia fleshy, tarsi and feet black; 

 iris huffy yellow." The other female, obtained on the 24th of June, 

 is an extraordinarily small bird. I make the tarsus 5-25 inches, 

 and even Major Bingham did not make it more than o-4 when he 

 measured the bird in the flesh. The soft parts were as follows : 

 " bill, legs, and feet black ; skin of face greenish blue ; iris bufl"." 



Three males from the Ajmere district vary very much in the 

 measurement of the tarsus ; they were procured in December and 

 January, and are in winter plumage, without ornamental plumes, and 

 have yellow bills. Two of them were shot on the same day at 

 Kurran, about 70 miles from Ajmere, and the difference in size is 

 enormous (tarsus 6"35-S'l) ; in the flesh Mr. Hume measured the 

 tarsi as G-6 and 8"4. The soft parts of the smaller bird were as 

 follows : " tarsi and feet black, greyer on the upper part of the tibia ; 

 bill yellow, base of both mandibles yellowish green ; lores and orbital 

 space green; iris pale yellow" {A. 0. H.). The larger male had 

 the legs and feet blackish dusky, upper part of tibia yellowish 

 homy : " bill and other soft parts the same as the other killed 

 to-day " {A. 0. H.). 



Hah. Southern Europe, east to Central Asia, and south to Africa, 

 the Indian Peninsula, and the Burmese countries. 



a. Juv. sk. 



b. Ad. test. sk. 



c. d. Hiem. sk. 

 [t. 5-8]. 



e, f, g. Hiem. et 



vix iestiv. sk. 



[t. 6-2-6-9]. 

 h. Hiem. sk. 



[t. 5-3]. 

 i. Hiem. sk. 



[t. 6-0o]. 

 k. JE.s,X\\. sk. 



[t. 6-4]. 

 /. 5 hiem. sk. 



[t. 5-55]. _ 

 m. Vix cTstiv. sk. 



[t. 5-8]. 

 n, o. Hiem. et 

 »stiv.sk.[t.6-8]. 



Vors, Hungary, June. 



Damietta, Egypt (Filippoyii). 

 River Gambia. 



Gold Coast. 



Fantee {H. T. Ussher). 

 Denkera (//. T. Ussher). 



Eabba, Eiver Niger {W. A. 



F.). 

 Potchefstroom, Transvaal, 



Sept. {T. Ay res). 

 Kroonstadt, Orange Free State, 



March {F. A. Symonds). 

 Lower Shire Valley {Sir J. 



Kirk). 



Hungarian National 



Museum [P.l. 

 Shelley Coll. 

 Governor Kendall. 



SheUev Coll. 



Shelley Coll. 



Sharps Coll. 



Forbes Coll. 



Gurney Coll. 



Gurney Coll. 



Livingstone Expedi- 

 tion. 



