320 SPOLIA ZEYLANICA. 
Young birds lack the ornamental plumes, and those of the 
dark variety are ashy-gray. Some young birds are pied 
slaty-blue and white, occasionally unsymmetrically. 
Bill brownish-yellow, paler at the tip and greenish at the 
gape ; iris golden yellow ; naked part of tibia and just below 
the knee brownish ; the tarsus green. 
Length 25; wing 10:5; tail 4; tarsus 4; bill from gape 4°5. 
Distribution.—Found only in a few localities on the north 
and west coast of the Island. Extends along the west coast 
of India to the Persian Gulf. 
Habits.—A rare bird, frequenting the open coast, especially 
where there are coral reefs, or the mud flats of estuaries. It 
has been found breeding near Chilaw about the end of May. 
The nest is a large platform of sticks placed in mangroves 
or on rocks. ‘The eggs are said to be three in number, slightly 
pointed at each end, pale sea-green in colour, and measuring 
about 1:70 by 1°30. 
ARDEOLA GRAYI (Blanford, Vol. IV., p. 393; Legge, p. 1150). 
The Pond Heron ; Paddy Bird. 
Description.—In breeding plumage the head and neck are 
grayish-yellow, with an ashy tinge on the crown; chin and 
throat whitish; a crest of two to four white streamers; the 
feathers of the back and scapulars, which are long and fila- 
mentous, are deep maroon tinged with black, the outer scapu- 
lars being brownish to creamy-buff. The remainder of the 
plumage, including the wings, is white, the tips of the primary 
quills tinged with brown. 
In the off season adults have the head and neck blackish- 
brown streaked with yellowish-buff, the crown darker, and 
the buff streaks becoming wider on the lower neck ; the crest 
wanting ; chin and throat white ; upper breast white streaked 
with brown. The back, scapulars, and tertiaries are glossy 
ash-brown, the scapulars with paler shaft-streaks ; remainder 
of plumage white. 
Bill bluish at the base and on top, the sides of the upper 
mandible and the lower mandible yellowish, the tip black ; 
iris bright yellow; legs greenish, 

