146 THE BIRDS OF RIVER AND VLEI 



Harold Fry discovered this Egret nesting on the Vaal 

 River, near Parys, Orange Eiver Colony, in November, 

 and Roberts, near Balmoral, in December. The eggs are 

 pale blue in colour. 



The Green- backed Heron (Butorides atricapilla) has 

 the top of the head, back and tail glossy dark green ; 

 below ashy-grey except for a streak of rufous down the 

 centre of the breast ; chin, centre of throat and front of 

 neck white. 



It is found in the Eastern Cape Colony, the lower- 

 lying portions of Natal, ranging northwards. There are 

 a pair of these pretty little Herons in the Transvaal 

 Zoological Gardens, caught when in immature plumage 

 at Six-mile Spruit, near Pretoria. 



The Night Heron (Nijcticorax nycticorax) has the 

 crown and back greenish-black ; neck and the best part 

 of the wing dove-grey ; rest of plumage snowy white, in- 

 cluding two long plumes springing from the back of the 

 head. 



It is widely distributed throughout South Africa. We 

 found it common on the Valsch River at Kroonstad in 

 April, 1906 ; there was quite a large proportion in the 

 immature grey dress. 



It is somewhat nocturnal in habits, spending the 

 greater part of the day amongst the thick trees and reed 

 beds bordering the river. The nest is a saucer-like plat- 

 form of sticks, and the eggs are pale greeny-blue. 



The White-backed Heron (N. leuconotus) has a white 

 patch on the back and the neck is bright chestnut. 

 Sclater gives only two known records of its occurrence 

 in South Africa ; Bathurst by Atherstone and Barber, 

 and Hex River, Rustenburg, by Lucas. To this we can 



