EGRETTA. 167 
black.” (Gould.) Length, 762; culmen, 112; wing, 381; tail, 160; 
tarsus, 182 to 162.” . (Sharpe.) 
The following data are from the Luzon specimen which I have re- 
corded: Killed on the Laguna de Bay, Luzon, March 16, 1906. Sexed 
by the taxidermist as a male. Entire legs and feet black; bill yellow. 
Dorsal plumes reaching little beyond base of tail, the bird being in rather 
poor plumage. Tarsus, 159; bill from gape, 140; culmen from frontal 
feathers, 114. This species is the largest as well as the rarest of the 
pure white herons known from the Philippine Islands. 
Genus EGRETTA Forster, 1817. 
This genus appears to be closely related to Mesophoyx but the bill is 
longer and more slender; toes and claws shorter; culmen longer than 
middle toe with claw, primaries and secondaries about equal in length. 
139. EGRETTA GARZETTA (Linneus). 
LITTLE WHITE EGRET, 
Ardea garzetta LINN&%=US, Syst. Nat. ed. 12 (1766), 1, 237. 
Garzetta garzetta SHARPE, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1898), 26, 118; Hand- 
List (1899), 1, 197; Oates, Cat. Birds’ Eggs (1902), 2, 120. 
Herodias garzetta BLANFORD, Fauna Brit. Ind. Bds. (1898), 4, 387, fig. 91. 
Egretta garzetta McGrecor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 33. 
Ta-ling-da6, Cagayancillo. 
Basilan (McGregor) ; Bohol (Hverett, McGregor) ; Cagayancillo (McGregor) ; 
Cebu (McGregor) ; Leyte (Everett) ; Lubang (McGregor) ; Luzon (Jagor, Everett, 
Heriot, Bourns & Worcester, McGregor); Mindanao (Steere Hap., Goodfellow) ; 
Mindoro (Porter); Negros (Steere Hxp., Bourns & Worcester, Keay); Panay 
(Bourns & Worcester) ; Romblon (McGregor); Siquijor (Bourns & Worcester). 
Africa, southern Europe to central Asia, China, Japan, Indian Peninsula, Malay 
Peninsula and Archipelago. 
“Adult male in breeding plumage.—Everywhere snowy white, with two 
elongated plumes depending from nape; dorsal plumes enormously elon- 
gated into a beautiful tuft of feathers, which reach a little beyond the 
tail and are recurved at the ends; on the fore neck some elongated narrow 
plumes. ‘Bill black; bare skin about the eye and base of bill, whitish 
fulvescent; tarsi and shanks black, feet greenish yellow, joints of toes 
spotted with black on the upper surface; iris pale ashy yellow, with an 
outer circle of brownish red. (7. Ayres.) Length, about 508; culmen, 
84; wing, 267; tail, 70; tarsus, 94. 
“Adult female.—Similar to the male, but the ornamental plumes not 
quite so much developed. Length, 571; culmen, 88; wing, 287; tail, 99; 
tarsus, 95; middle toe with claw, 93. 
“Adult in winter plumage.—Differs from that of the summer plumage 
in the want of all the ornamental plumes. 
