NIGHT-HERON. 



199 



around the eye, of a pale greenish-brown ; irides brown ; no 

 elongated occipital plumes; top of the head, back of the 

 neck, interscapulars, shoulders, wing, and wing-coverts, clove- 

 brown, the centre of each feather being pale wood-brown, 

 extending to the tip, but bounded on the sides with darker 

 brown ; primaries, secondaries, and tertials, clove-brown 

 tipped with pale wood-brown ; rump, and upper tail-coverts, 

 a mixture of ash-grey, pale brown, and clove-brown ; tail- 

 feathers greyish-brown ; chin, throat, neck in front, breast, 

 and under surface of the body, dull white, with elongated 

 patches of greyish-brown ; legs and toes brown, tinged with 

 green ; claws dark brown. 



It appears from the statements of Swinhoe and A. Ander- 

 son, that males are capable of reproduction when still in 

 immature plumage. 



The nestling has the bare skin of a sea-green ; the down 

 is purplish-grey, tipped with white on the crown, and whiter 

 on the flanks and belly; lore and bill yellowish-green; legs 

 greenish above, yellow below. 



