4C8 



ARDEIDE. 



hair, from whicli circumstance the term comata, — hairy, has 

 been applied to more than one species ; the colour a pale 

 reddish brown in those upon the surface, passing into a deli- 

 cate buff colour in those underneath ; the wings white, the 

 ends of some of the coverts and tertials being tinged with 

 buff; rump, upper tail-coverts and tail-feathers white ; chin, 

 throat, belly, under surface of the wings, the axillary plume, 

 vent, and under surface of the tail-feathers, pure white ; legs 

 yellowish brown ; toes brown above, yellow underneath ; 

 claws black. 



Whole length from the point of the beak to the end of the 

 tail, about nineteen inches. From the carpal joint to the 

 end of the wing, nine inches : the first and third quill-feathers 

 are equal in length, and only a very little shorter than the 

 second, which is the longest in the wing. 



The sexes in plumage resemble each other at the same age. 



In a younger bird, the descending dusky grey streaks on 

 the feathers of the neck are longer and broader, and the 

 lighter ground colour more mixed with brown ; the wing- 

 coverts tinged with buff; but the plumage of the back, and 

 the ends of the tertials are reddish brown ; and I have ob- 

 served that the younger the specimen the darker are the fea- 

 thers alonff the middle line of the back. 



