ARDEA. 167 



621 ; id.. Sir. F. i. p. 105 ; vii. p. 490; Murray, Avif. Br. Ind. ii. p, 651, 

 No. 1342. — The Giant Heron. 



Upper plumage dark blue grey ; short occipital crest and rest of head dark 

 brown ; sides of the head and entire neck chestnut brown ; chin and throat 

 white ; neck in front white with black streaks ; breast and abdomen dark 

 chestnut brown. The young bird is dull grey above, the head, ear coverts 

 and back of neck are pale rufous cinnamon. Bill dusky above, beneath and 

 tip greenish; irides pale yellow; legs blackish (jFerd.') 



Lenglh.—SS to 65 inches; wing ^24 ; tail lO ; bill at front 8; tarsus 9 ; 

 , standing height nearly 4 feet. 



Hub. — Bengal, near Calcutta and the Khasia hills. Nothing certain appears 

 to be known of its nidification. All the species of the genus Ardea are said 

 to be good for food, and the flesh is equal in flavour to that of Grus cinerea. 

 They feed very variously on lizards, fish, frogs, &ic., and often on fetid mice, 

 &c. They are very patient, and often stand motionless in the water for hours 

 together waiting for prey. They were formerly ranked as Royal Game and 

 protected by Game laws. The flesh, it is said, was, and is to this day, esteemed 

 as much as that of a pheasant. 



206. Ardea SUmatrana, Raffles, Tram. Linn. Soc. xiii. p. 325 ; 

 Jerd., B. Ind. ii. p. 740 (part); Hume, Nests and Eggs, p. 610 (part); 

 Salvad., Ucc. Born. p. 344 ; Blyth, B. Burm. p. 159; Hume and Day., Str. 

 F. vi. p. 469; id.. Sir. F. viii. p. 114; Murray, Avif. Br. Lid. ii. p'. 651, 

 No. 1343. Ardea typhon, Temm., PI. Col. 745. Ardea tectirostris, Gotild 

 P. Z. S. 1843, P- 22 ; id,. B. Auslr. vi. pi. 54.— The Great Slaty Heron. 



Entire upper surface deep slaty ; scapulars and feathers of the interscapu- 

 lary region linear, lanceolate, and elongated, with the terminal portions greyish 

 white; those of the base of the neck similar but less elongated ; crown with 

 a dull purplish shade, also on the occiput, crown, back and sides of the neck • 

 occipital crest long, linear and greyish white, about 9 inches long ; orbital 

 region, a band above and below the eye to the commissure bare ; ear coverts 

 and sides of the occiput light ashy brown, sometimes faintly rufescent • chin 

 upper part of throat, and feathers on either side of the base of the lower 

 mandible white ; rest of the throat and foreneck mingled ashy brown and 

 slaty, with here and there a slightly ruddy tinge ; feathers of the base and sides 

 and front of the neck elongated, some of them fully seven inches in leno-th 

 linear lanceolate, and the terminal portions pearl grey ; rest of entire lower 

 surface ash grey ; wing lining, axillaries and under surface of the wing pure 

 blue slate colour. {Hume.') 



Length.— '^o inches; tail 6; wing 18-5; tarsus 7; bill at front 6-5 

 {Hume) ; irides bright yellow ; facial skin dirty green ; upper mandible horny 

 black ; lower one whitish horny, yellowish towards the tip. 



