ARDEA RALLOIDES 171 



ARDEA RALLOIDES Scopoli. 



SQUACCO HERON. 



Ardea ralloides, Scop. Ann. i, p. 88 (1769) ; Malhcrbe, Cat. Beds. d'Ois. 



Alg. p. 20 (1846) ; Koenig, J. f. 0. 1888, p. 272 ; id. J.f. 0. 1893, p. 



87; Wlutaker, Ibis, 1895, p. 104. 

 Ardeola ralloides, Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xxvi, p. 202 ; Erlcuujer, 



J. f. 0. 1900, p. 38. 

 Buphus comatus, Lochc, Eipl. Sci. Akj. Ois. ii, p. 136 (1867). 



Description. — Adult male, spring, from North Tunisia. 



Head and neck palo creani-yollow, the crown streaked with black ; a 

 crest of elongated creamy-white plumes, striped on each side with iilack ; 

 back pale copper-colour, with the lower dorsal plumes considerably elon- 

 gated ; wings and tail white, slightly tinged with creamy-yellow ; chin and 

 throat white ; breast croamy-yellow, with the lower feathers elongated ; rest 

 of the underparts white, tinged with creamy-yellow. 



Iris bright straw-yellow ; bare space round the eye greenish ; bill bluish- 

 grey at the base and black at the tip ; feet dull yellow tinged with green. 



Total length 18-50 inches, wing 8-50, culmen 2-50, tarsus 2-40. 



Adult female similar to the male. 



In winter the ornamental plumes are much less developed. The youn" 

 bird also has these plumes only slightly developed, its upper parts rather 

 darker than in the adult and its lower throat striped with blackish streaks. 



The present species is abundant in Tunisia during the spring 

 passage and a good many pairs remain and breed, apparently in the 

 south as well as in the north of the Kegency, individuals being met 

 with in some of the oases late in May. 



In Algeria and Marocco the species also occurs more or less 

 abundantly on passage, and a certain number nest in both countries. 

 According to Loche it is to be found in Algeria at all seasons, but I 

 have no note of its occurrence in Tunisia during the winter. In its 

 range this Heron is not nearly so essentially a southern species as the 

 preceding one and during the spring and summer months it may be 

 found generally distributed throughout a considerable part of Central 

 as well as Southern Europe. In Sicily it is sometimes particularly 

 plentiful in spring, and may be met with even in the gardens close to 

 large towns. 



It frequents marshy localities, the neighbourhood of ponds, and 

 the banks of streams bordered with cane-brakes or reeds, and in its 

 habits is rather seclusive and skulking, passing most of the day in 



