34 



AEDEID^l. CICOl^IID^E. 



N. America 

 and Antilles. 



\O 



* 



Europe in 

 summer. 

 Asia, Africa, 

 N. & S. Ame- 

 rica. 



Europe, 

 W. Asia, 

 wintering in 

 Africa. 



[188. GEEEN HEEOF. Butorides virescens (Linnaeus). One occur- 

 rence in Cornwall, possibly an escaped bird. (Ibis, 1890, p. 386.) 



Crown, scapulars, wing-coverts, and inner secondaries glossy dark green ; 

 neck purplish chestnut ; axillaries purplish grey. Length 16 inches.] 



189. NIGHT-HERON. Nycticorax griseus (Linnaeus). Not uncommon 

 on migration. 



Crown, nape, and back brownish black, with green gloss ; wings and 

 tail ash-grey. Crest usually of three, but rarely of as many as six long, 

 narrow, white feathers pendent from nape; legs yellow; bill black; 

 iris red. Females less brightly coloured. 



Young. Without crest ; above dark brown, spotted with white ; 

 below dull white, striped with dark brown. Length 21-24 inches. 



190. LITTLE BITTEEN. Ardetta minuta (Linnaeus). Spring to 

 autumn. Recorded as having bred in Norfolk. 



Male. Crown, nape, back, tail, wing-quills, and upper surface of bill 

 black, with greenish gloss ; underparts buff ; lower neck-feathers elon- 

 gated ; feathers of upper breast blackish brown, margined with buff ; 

 iris yellow. 



Female. Crown blackish ; above chestnut-brown, margined with buff ; 

 primaries dark brown. 



Legs greenish yellow ; tail of ten feathers. Length 12 inches. 



191. BITTEEN. Botaurus stellaris (Linnaeus). Formerly resident, 

 but now chiefly a winter visitor. 



Crown and nape black ; general colour buff ; a large ruff on front of 

 neck ; the back irregularly marked with black ; primaries chestnut, 

 barred with blackish ; tail of ten feathers. Length 28-29 inches. 



192. AMEEIOAN BITTEEN. Botaurus lentiginoeus (Montagu). More 

 than twenty occurrences in Great Britain and Ireland. 



Much resembles last, but smaller ; bill more slender ; plumage above 

 finely vermiculated ; primaries uniform blackish brown, not barred. 

 Length 27 inches. 



CICONIID^J. 



Europe, Africa, 193. WHITE STOEK. Ciconia alba, Bechstein. Irregular visitor on 



W. & C. Asia, migration, and was so, according to record, even 350 years ago. 



passing S. in. ,, ., . . , . , , 



winter. ,(T White, except primaries, secondaries, scapulars, large wing-coverts, 



and bare space round eye, which are black. Bill and legs red. Length 

 42 inches. 



194. BLACK STOEK. Ciconia nigra (Linnaeus). Scarce wanderer on 

 migration, not observed in Scotland or Ireland. 



Head, neck, and upper parts blackish with metallic gloss ; only breast 

 and underparts white. Bill, legs, and bare space round eye red ; irides 

 reddish brown. 



Young. Dark parts brownish black without gloss ; bill and legs olive- 

 green ; feathers of head and neck tipped with buffy white. Length 

 39-40 inches. 



N. America to 

 as far S. in 

 winter as 

 Guatemala, i ^ 



Europe, Asia, 

 Africa. 



