25. HETEROCNUS. 199 



p. .379 (1883: San Juaa del Sur) ; Ferrari-Perez, op. cit. ix. 



p. 170 (18S6: Vera Cruz) ; Jouij, op. cit. xvi. p. 788 (1893: Saa 



Luis Potosi). 

 Ardea cabanisi, Schl. Mus. Pai/s-Bas, Ardese, p. 51 (1863 : Mexico). 

 Botaurus cabanisi, Reichen. J.f. O. 1877, p. 251. 



Adult male. General colour above brown, the feathers having a 

 mesial shaft-line of black, and finely marked with wavy cross-lines 

 of buff and grey and black, arranged on a transverse pattern, con- 

 sisting of an ashy or dusky bar, bordered above and below with 

 a narrow line of black, and then a broader line of sandy buff; 

 this wavy character extends over the whole of the plumage of 

 the upper surface, but the bands become obsolete on the inner 

 secondaries, where the barring becomes broken up into minute 

 freckles ; wing-coverts like the back, but the cross-barring a little 

 coarser, except on the greater coverts, where it is very fine ; 

 bastard-wing and primary-coverts blackish, fringed with white at 

 the ends, and having a few white bars on the outer web of the 

 former series ; quills black, externally slaty grey, tipped with white ; 

 secondaries glossed with greenish and externally freckled with brown 

 vermiculations on the outer webs, increasing towards the innermost, 

 which are freckled all over ; lower back, rump, and upper tail- 

 coverts dusky slate-colour ; tail-feathers dark slate-colour, some of 

 the feathers finely lined with whitish vermiculations and cross- 

 markings ; crown of head and crest black ; lores and orbits bare ; 

 sides of face and ear-coverts slaty blue, extending to the sides of the 

 nape, and separated from the bare cheeks by a line of black, which 

 is continued down the sides of the bare throat, but is streaked with 

 white in the neighbourhood of the latter ; nape, hind-neck, and 

 sides of neck sandy buff, barred with black, forming an ample neck- 

 frill, which extends down to the sides of the chest ; the centre 

 of the lower throat and fore-neck distinctly lighter and mottled 

 with white, ashy, rufous-brown, and black, the lateral feathers of 

 the frill having a good deal of black on the outer web, so as to 

 continue the black streak which runs along the sides of the bare 

 throat ; the central feathers of the throat for the most part white, 

 then becoming laterally tinged with isabelline or buff, and externally 

 blackish at the base and reddish towards the eud of the feathers ; 

 some of the lower feathers of the fore-neck with a long black streak 

 down the centre, the inner webs white, the outer ones barred like 

 the adjoining frill ; centre of breast bare, overhung by lateral tufts 

 of vinous chestnut, the rest of the under surface of the body being 

 of the latter colour ; the flanks slaty grey ; the thighs dusky slate- 

 colour, on the inner face pale vinous ; under tail-coverts slaty grey, 

 washed with rufous ; under wing-coverts slaty brown, barred with 

 white, the smaller ones with sandy buft' : axillaries slaty grey : 

 " upper mandible black, the lower one greenish yellow ; orbits, 

 lores, gular sac, and feet greenish; ma jeWovf " {F. Sumichrast). 

 Total length 27 inches, culmen 4-2, wing 13, tail 5, tarsus 4-2. 



Adult female. Similar to the male in colour. Total length of out- 

 stretched skin 30 inches, culmon 4, wing 13-3, tail 5'7, tarsus 3-5. 



