46



Mr. Frank Finn,



CURIOUS ATTITUDES OF EGRETS.


By F. Finn, B.A., F.Z.S.


Mr. Astley’s two small Egrets, of which he gave us such

an interesting account some time ago, as they came from South

America, would be Leucophoyx candidissima, not Garzetta garzetta,

which is an Old World bird. Although very similar in size, the two

species show a striking difference in the nuptial plumes; in the

“ Snowy Egret ”—as the American bird is rather absurdly called,

since all the typical Egrets are of the purest white throughout—the

crest is a bunch of thread-like “ osprey ” plumes, while the Old

World Little Egret has on the head only two long hackle-like

plumes, like those forming the crest of the Common Heron.


In 1916 there were a pair of candidissima at the Zoo, in the

Small Waders’ Aviary, and I watched one taking its bath in a most

extraordinary way. Standing in the shallow water, it would have a

splash and then sit down on its hocks, the w T ater reaching half-way

up its body, which was perpendicular. It at the same time drew in

its neck, and drooped its head on one side, looking exactly as if over¬

come by a chill or heart weakness, especially as it remained in its

queer position for an appreciable time. Presently, however, it pulled

itself together, rushed on a few paces, and then collapsed into the

dying-away position again.


Its companion seemed to think its behaviour unusual, for it

came up and had a look at it. The manoeuvre was repeated once or

twice more till the whale length of the pond had been traversed, and

the bird considered its bath finished. Was this an individual eccen¬

tricity, or is this the usual procedure of this species when bathing ?

One does not get much chance of seeing, as all Herons appear to

bathe but rarely.


The Buff-backed Egret which was in this aviary recently

behaved in an equally strange manner one day. Coming to the

Zoo one Sunday morning I found it lying out flat on the piece of rock-

work at the south end of the pond, and looking so exactly like a dead

bird that when I came again in the afternoon I fully intended to

draw the keeper’s attention to what I thought was the casualty; but



