32. ARDEIRALLUS. 245 



Ardea gutturalis, Smitk, III. Zool. S. Aft:, Birds, pi. 91 (1843) ; Gray, 



Gen. H. iii. p. 556 (1847) ; Lmjard, B. S. Afr. p. 310 (1867 : 



Zambesi). 

 Ardetta gularis, Reichenb. Handb., Grail, tab. xli. fig. 1024 (1851). 

 Herodias sturmii, Licht. Nomencl, Av. Mus. Berol. p. ^89 (1854) ; 



Hartl.J.f. O. 1854, p. 290. 

 Ardetta gutturalis, Bp. Consp. Av. ii. p. 131 (1855) ; id. C. R. xliii. 



p. 991 (1856) ; Giirney, Ibis, 1860, p. 221 (Natal). 

 Ai'deola pusilla (nee V.), Heiigl. Si/.st. Uehers. p. 59 (1856). 

 Ardea eulopha, Heugl. J.f. O. 1862, p. 407. 



Ardeola stui-uii, Degl. et Gerbe, Orn. Eur. ii. p. 305 (1867 : " Pyre- 

 nees"). 

 Ardeiralla sturmi, Gurney in Anderss. B. Dam. Ld. p. 291 (1872 : 



Damara; Ondonga ; Ovaquenyama, breeding). 

 Botaurus sturmi, Eeichen. J.f. 0. 1877, p. 245 ; Bocarje, Orn. Angola, 



p. 447 (1881: Biballa; Landana) ; Hartl. Abhandl. Nat. Ver. 



Bremen, viii. p. 215 (1883 : Lado) ; Sharpe, Journ. Linn. Soc, 



Zool. xvii.p. 440 (1884: Semmio). 

 Butorides sturmii, Sharpe in Gates's Matabele Land, App. B, p. 326 



(1881). 

 Ai'deii-allus sturmi, Sharpe, Bull. B. O. Club, v. no. xxxi. p. xiii (1895). 



Adult male. General colour above slaty grey, the feathers of the 

 sides of the neck, hinder crown, and nape elongated and full ; wings 

 and tail slaty grey, like the back ; sides of face slaty grey ; the fore 

 part of the cheeks and malar line blackish ; under surface of body 

 ochreous buff, whiter on the throat and fore-neck and deepening in 

 colour on the abdomen ; a broad streak of slaty black down the 

 •centre of the throat, and the feathers of the lower throat and fore- 

 neck with very broad slaty-black centres, the long feathers of the 

 fore-neck being also laterally slaty black ; on each side of the chest 

 a patch of tawn3--buff feathers, with slaty-black centres ; the feathers 

 of the breast, abdomen, and thighs more or less tawny, with longi- 

 tudinal slaty-black centres, the under tail-coverts also powdered or 

 mesially tipped with slaty black ; sides of body uniform slate-colour, 

 like the axillaries and under wing-coverts; thighs tawny buff in 

 front, slaty grey behind : " biU almost black, shading at the base 

 into bluish green, which is the colour of the skin surrounding the 

 eyes and at the corners of the mouth ; tibia, front of tarsus, and 

 upper surface of toes yellowish brown, with a greenish tinge on the 

 tibia ; the back of the tarsus and the soles of toes bright yellow ; iris 

 red or reddish brown" (C. J. Andersson). Total length 12-5 inches, 

 culmen 1-75, wing 6-5, tail 2-2, tarsus 1-8, middle toe and claw 

 2-05. 



Adult female. Similar to the male, but rather more rufous under- 

 neath. Total length 11 inches, culmen 1-6, wing 0-3, tail 2, 

 tarsus 1-7. 



Toinu/. Rather lighter and more slaty on the upper surface, and 

 easily distinguished by having the whole of the feathers of the back 

 and the wing-coverts margined or tipped with sandy buff, broader 

 on the wing-coverts ; iinder surface of body rufescent, with the 

 streaks not nearly so broad and the gular stripe consisting of tri- 

 angular blackish-brown spots. 



