302 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 



are considerable, and, like other Herons, it occasionally 

 performs long-continued flights at a great height in the air ; 

 its food is also of a similar character, consisting of fish, 

 frogs, aquatic insects, &c. When on the ground its snowy 

 plumage presents a strong and pleasing contrast to the green 

 sedge and other herbage clothing the banks of the rivers. 



That it undergoes seasonal changes of plumage is evident, 

 since I possess specimens, some of which are adorned with 

 long ornamental plumes on the back, while in others they 

 are entirely wanting, from which I infer that, as they all 

 appear to be old birds, they have been killed at different 

 periods of the year, and that these ornamental plumes are 

 only carried during the months of spring and the breeding- 

 season. 



The sexes are precisely alike in external appearance, and both 

 possess the lengthened plumes during the vernal season. 



The whole of the plumage pure white ; irides rich straw- 

 yellow ; naked space before and behind the eye fine greenish 

 yellow ; bill beautiful orange ; legs above the knee pale dull 

 yellow, which colour is continued down the centre of the 

 inner part of the tarsi ; remainder of the tarsi and feet black. 



Mr. Blyth says that the " Herodias syrmatopliorus, Gould, 

 from Australia and New Zealand, does not differ (that I can 

 perceive) from H. modesta, Gray (Hardwicke, ' 111. Ind. Zool.'), 

 of Asia and Africa, which is very common in India ; and I 

 have seen no specimens referred to H. alba, Linn., which 

 were in any respect different." — Ihis, 1865, p. 36. 



If this view be correct, and it really would appear to be so, 

 the Great White Heron is vmiversally dispersed over the Old 

 World ; and few, if any, of the Egrets are more ornamental 

 or delicate in appearance than this species. 



