298 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 



to the green colouring of the herbage with which it is 

 surrounded : its walk, too, is characterized by a greater 

 degree of stateliness and grace than that of most of the other 

 members of the group. 



In general it merely flies from district to district in search 

 of a more abundant supply of food; but, when necessity 

 requires, it is capable of performing extensive journeys. 



That it breeds in the southern portion of Australia there 

 can be but little doubt ; the brevity of my stay in the country 

 did not, however, admit of my finding its nest or of obtaining 

 its eggs, which latter, when discovered, will probably prove to 

 be of a light blue in colour, and somewhat smaller in size than 

 those of Ardea cinerea. 



Considerable variation exists in the colouring of this species, 

 some specimens having the neck wholly white, while others 

 have the centre of that part spotted with black. 



The sexes when fully adult are so nearly alike, that it is 

 only by the smaller size of the female that they can be 

 distinguished from each other. 



Head, neck, and elongated feathers of the breast white, 

 tinged with purplish grey ; on the fore part of the neck a 

 series of irregularly -placed black spots ; upper surface, wings, 

 and tail bluish black, glossed with green on the back and 

 wing-coverts ; under surface chocolate-brown, each feather of 

 the abdomen with a broad stripe of white down the centre ; 

 feathers of the breast and the elongated scapularies deep 

 purplish red, the tips and outer webs of some of the latter 

 dull green ; shoulder and edge of the wing pure white ; 

 upper mandible black, lower part of the under mandible 

 yellowish olive in some specimens and yellowish horn-colour 

 in others ; irides in some specimens rich primrose-yellow, and 

 in others very dark brown ; upper part of the tarsi yellowish 

 olive ; feet black ; orbits greenish yellow, becoming more 

 yellow immediately before and round the eye. 



