HERON. GRALLATORES. ARDEA. 27 



colour, each feather being bordered with black. From 

 the nape of the neck proceed eight or ten long, narrow, 

 subulated feathers, which hang down as low as the 

 back ; they are white, with a narrow border of black on 

 each side. The chin and throat are also white; the 

 rest of the neck and the breast sienna-yellow. From 

 the upper part of the back, immediately behind the 

 shoulders, proceed long feathers, with open, hair-like 

 decomposed barbs ; these cover the whole of the back 

 and scapulars, equalling the tail in length ; their colour 

 is a deep sienna-yellow, tinged towards the upper part 

 of the back with lavender-purple. The wings and sca- 

 pulars are white, slightly tinged in parts with pale 

 sienna-yellow. The abdomen, vent, thighs, rump, and 

 tail are pure white. The bill, for nearly two-thirds from 

 its base, is pale azure-blue ; the remainder black. The 

 lores are greenish-yellow. The irides bright sulphur- 

 yellow. The legs dusky, tinged with red. The under 

 part of the toes, and about the tarsal joint, greenish-yel- 

 low. In the mature state, the plumage of both sexes is 

 alike ; but the crest of the male bird is generally long- 

 est. 



The young have not the occipital crest ; and the entire 

 plumage of the head and neck and the wing-coverts are 

 of a wood-brown colour, with longitudinal streaks of a 

 darker hue. The dorsal plumes are wanting, and the 

 upper part of the back and the scapulars are brown. 

 The throat, rump, and tail, are white ; the quills have 

 their exterior webs ash-grey, and their interior ones 

 white. The upper mandible is brown, tinged with oil- 

 green ; the under one yellowish-green. The lores are 

 greenish-grey. Legs and toes yellowish-green. 



