174 AEDEID^. 



Ardea atricapilla, var. rutenbergi, Milne-Edw. ^ Grandid. H. N, 



Madag., Ois. p. 557, pi. ccxxvii a. (1885). 

 Ardetta atricapilla, Shdley, Ibis, 1888, p. 304 (Tangani). 

 Ardea (Butorides) nigricollis, E. Newton Sf Gadoic^ Tr. Z. S. xiii. 



p. 289 (1893 ; lapsu cal. pro "B. atricapilla"). 



Adult male. Green, with greyish ornamental plumes on the 

 hack ; the wing-coverts edged with sandy buiJ ; crown of head 

 greenish black. Similar to B. javanica described below, but 

 distinguished by the tawny-rufous markings on the throat and fore- 

 neck ; " upper mandible dusky, the lower one greenish yellow with 

 dusky margins ; tarsi and feet dusky on the upper surface, yellow 

 on the under; iris light yellow" (T. Ayres). Total length 16 

 inches, culmen 2-3, wing 6-6, tail 2-], tarsus 1-65, middle toe and 

 claw 1"8. 



Adult female. Similar to the male. Total length 15 inches, 

 wing 6-8. 



Younr/. More dusky than the adults and browner above, and 

 easily distinguished by the ochraceous-buff tips to the feathers of 

 the upper surface ; the colour of the under surface tawny rufous, 

 including the throat, the streaks being the same as in the adult, 

 but rather narrower and shaded laterally with rufous. 



Several specimens in the Museum Collection exhibit a tendency 

 to a uniform grey throat. This I take to be a sign of age, though 

 Dr. lleichenow believes that it is the specific character of Butorides 

 hrevipes (H. & E.), which he considers to be confined to the coast- 

 land of the Eed Sea. The specimens from Massowa and Suakin in 

 the British Museum do not seem to differ from others from various 

 parts of Africa. 



Hah. Confined to Tropical Africa and Madagascar. 



a. Juv. sk. River Gambia. Governor Kendall 



[P.]. 



b. Juv. sk. Bathurst. Shelley Coll. 



c. d. Ad. sk. Bathurst, Aug. 21. Dr. Percy Kendall 



[P.]. 



e. Juv. sk. Coomassie, Ashantee. GodfreyLagden, Esq. 



[P.]. 



/. Juv. sk. Ashantee. Gould Coll. 



g,h,i. Ad, etjuv. Wasa Province, Gold Coast. Sir R. Burton and 

 sk. Capt. Cameron[P.]. 



k, I, m. Ad, sk. Denkera, Fantee {H. T. Sharpe Coll. 

 Ussher). 



n, o. Ad. sk. Fantee. Shelley Coll, 



J). Ad. sk, Accra (J. Smith). Shelley CoU. 



q. Ad. sk. River Volta {H. T. Ussher). Shelley Coll. 



r. Ad. sk. Shonga, River Niger. Capt. Mochler Ferry- 



man [P.]. 



s. Juv. sk. Ogow6 River, Gaboon. A.Bouvier, EsqufP.]. 



t. Ad. sk. Semmio,Niam-Niam Country, F. Bohndorli' [C,], 



May. 



u, V. Ad. sk. Ambriz, Angola. Monteiro Coll. 



to. Ad. sk. River Coanza. Monteiro CoU, 



X. Ad, sk Natal. Gurney Coll, 



