432 Bulletin of the British 



Dr. Sharpe also proposed the name of 



Mesophoyx, geu. iiov., 

 for the bird generally called Herodias intermedia, which was 

 intermediate between the genera Ardea and Herodias. From 

 the former it differed in having no ornamental nape-plumes, 

 and in the possession of an enormous pectoral and dorsal 

 patch of ornamental plumes, the dorsal train reaching far 

 beyond the tail. From Herodias it was distinguished by its 

 serrated bill and the difference in style of the ornamental 

 breeding- plumes. 



The genus Garzetta differed from Herodias in its longer 

 and slenderer bill, which exceeded the length of the middle 

 toe and claw, the last-named genus being closely allied to 

 Ardea. The American Egret differed from Garzetta in its 

 enormous crest of decomposed plumes, which covered the 

 whole crown and nape ; it also lacked the elongated nape- 

 plumes of Garzetta, ^'h.\\e the breast-feathers were decomposed 

 and not lanceolate. The name suggested was 

 -^- Leucophoyx, gen. nov. Type, L. candidissima (Gm.). 



Another curious Heron, which could not be referred to any 

 known genus, was the Ardea riifiventris of Sundevall, from 

 South Africa. It belonged to the group of Butorides and 

 Ardeota. From the former genus it differed in having a 

 rounded wing, with the secondaries equal to the primaries, 

 and the scapulars so much produced as to overhang the 

 quills. From Ardeola it differed in having no ornamental 

 nape-plumes, but a very dense neck-frill ; it also wanted the 

 dorsal train. The name proposed was 



Erythocnus, gen. nov. Type, E. rufiventris (Sund.). 



No. XVIII. (May 26th, 1894.) 



The seventeenth meeting of the Club was held at the 

 Restaurant Frascati, 32 Oxford Street, on Wednesday, the 

 1 6th of May, 1894. 



