456 Mr. E, Newton's Second Visit to Madagascar, 



62. Ardea (?), sp. iudet. 



On more than one occasion I saw a large white Heron, about 

 the same size as the preceding species, but never got a shot at 

 one. 



63. Ardea hubulcus, Savigny. 



" Voron-ombi '' (Cattle-Bird), " Voron-fotsy " (Whit&Bird), 

 also " Voron-kongh " (pronounced " Voron-coonche"). 



These birds, I was told, never breed elsewhere than on the 

 small coral islands, covered with thick brushwood, which occur 

 every here and there on the reef along the coast. They certainly 

 roost there, as towards sunset, and even after, parties of from 

 two to twenty individuals are to be seen wending their way out 

 to sea in the direction of one or other of these islands. 



Fong Island to the southward of Hivondrona, Prune Island 

 to the northward of Tamatave, and a small one near Fenerive 

 seem to be the favourite spots resorted to by them. The first- 

 named must be at least eight or ten miles from the coast. I 

 never had an opportunity of visiting any of them — no easy task, 

 by the way, on account of the heavy swell, which makes landing 

 dangerous, and sometimes impossible. I think they were breed- 

 ing in September. 



Iris and beak light yellow ; legs greenish yellow (in the 

 younger birds they are brown) ; toes brown. 



64. Ardea comata, Pallas. 



On the 26th September we saw a pair of these birds as we 

 were ascending the Fargandrafrah, and I obtained one, a female. 

 The eggs in its ovary were large. 



Iris yellow ; beak horn-colour ; naked skin between the eye 

 and the beak yellowish ; skin round eye, base of lower mandible, 

 and legs greenish yellow. 



65. Ardea atricapilla, Afzelius. 



" Tambakoratsy " (literally, " bad tobacco," so called as the 

 bird is not eaten and is considered worthless). 



Not uncommon on the Hivondrona. 



Iris of two circles, the inner yellow, and the outer red ; upper 

 mandible black, lower greenish yellow ; a yellow stripe from the 

 eye towards the nostrils. 



