80 



ARDEIDJE 



BUTOBIDES 



Some eight species of this genus are usually recognised, dis- 

 tributed over the whole of the New World, Africa, including 

 Madagascar, Southern and Eastern Asia from India to Japan, 

 Australia, and many of the island groups of the Pacific. Only one 

 species is found in Africa. 



597. Butorides atricapilla. Green-backed Heron. 



Ardea atricapilla, Afzel. Act. Acad. Stockh. xxv, p. 264 (1804) ; Layard, 



B. S. Afr. p. 309 (1867). 

 Butorides atricapilla, Kirk, Ibis, 1864, p. 333 ; Gurney, Ibis, 1865 p. 



271 [Durban] ; id. ed. Anderssorts B. Damaral. p. 292 (1872) ; Ayres, 



Ibis, 1878, p. 300, 1886 p. 294 ; Shelley, Ibis, 1882, p. 364 [Umfuli 



Eiver] ; Sharpe, ed. Layard's B. 8. Afr. p. 719 (1884) ; W. Ayres, 



Ibis, 1887, p. 63 ; Fleck, Journ. Ornith. 1894, p. 388 ; Shelley, B. 



Afr. i, p. 158 (1896) ; Sharpe, Ibis, 1897, p. 517 [Zululand] ; id. Cat. 



B. M. xxvi, p. 172 (1898) ; Woodward Bros., Natal B. p. 197 (1899) ; 



Alexander, Ibis, 1900, p. 440 ; Beichenow, Vog. Afr. i, p. 370 (1901) ; 



Hellmayr, Journ. Ornith. 1902, p. 236 [Pienaars Eiver] ; Shortridge, 



Ibis, 1904, p. 205. 



FIG. 22. Head of Butorides atricapilla. x |. Below, the anterior end 

 of the upper mandible magnified to show the serrations. 



Description. Adult Male. Crown, with the elongated crest 

 feathers produced to a point, back with ornamental plumes and 

 tail, all rich glossy dark green ; wings like the back, the coverts 

 all edged with sandy buff, the primaries rather more dusky, edged 

 with white ; ear coverts more or les.s ashy, bordered below by a 

 short blackish streak ; hind neck and sides of the neck ashy-grey, 



