740 BIRDS OF INDIA. 



with an occipital crest of dense feathers ; the scapulars varied with 

 brown, and with a white centre ; throat white ; neck whitish with 

 some dusky marks, and blackish posteriorly ; the rest of the lower 

 parts whitish, the flanks margined with brown and ashy. 



Bill dusky above, beneath and tip greenish ; irides pale yellow ; 

 orbitar space greenish ; legs blackish. Length nearly 5 feet ; wing 

 24 inches ; tail 10 ; bill at front 8 ; tarsus 9 ; middle toe 6^ ; stands 

 nearly 4 feet high. 



The description of the adult plumage I have taken from 

 Temminck, PL Col. 474, as it appears to be the same bird. I 

 am doubtful if Riippell's A. goliaili be the same. It has the back 

 and sides of the neck isabella yellow; the crest longer ' than in 

 the Indian example, or in Temminck' s figure, and brown; there is 

 more white and less black on the neck and breast, and the lower 

 parts are sepia brown. It is also smaller. Length 44 inches ; 

 wing 21 ; but the bill longer 8^. A. ti/phon, Temm., is considered 

 identical with this species by some writers, but Bonaparte places 

 that bird as the type of another group. 



This huge Heron has been procured occasionally by Mr. Blyth, 

 from the salt-water lake near Calcutta ; I observed it once only, 

 at the foot of the Khasia Hills, on the banks of a river. It is 

 known as an inhabitant of some of the islands of the Malayan 

 Archipelago, and if Riippell's bird be identical, also of Africa. 



The next species is placed by Bonaparte under Typhon of 

 lleichenbach, distinguished by a long, straight bill, barely up- 

 turned at the tip ; a very long slender neck ; the tibia nude for 

 some distance ; and long feet. It appears to approach the Purple 

 Heron in habit. 



922. Ardea Sumatrana, Raffles. 



Blyth, Cat. 1635 — A. rectirostris, Gould, Birds of Australia, 

 VI. pi. 54 — A. insignis, Hodgson — A. fusca, Blyth (the 

 young) — Anjan, Beng. — San harado, Sindh, i. e., the . great 

 Heron. 



The dusky-grey Heron. 



Descr. — General plumage dusky cinereous, more dusky on the 

 crown of the head, with a crest of a few narrow, ashy feathers, 



