ARDEA. 381 



1554. Ardea manillensis. The Eastern Purple Heron. 



Ardea purpurea, apud Blyth, Cat. p. 278 ; Irby, Ibis, 1861, p. 244 

 Jerdon, B. I. iii, p. 743 ; Hume, Ibis, 1869, p. 238 ; id. N. $ E. 

 p. 611 ; Ball, J. A. S. B. xli, pt. 2, p. 289 ; Hume, S. F. i, p. 253 ;. 

 ii, p. 303 ; Blyth, Birds Burm. p. 159 ; Butter 8f Hume, 8. F. iv, 

 p. 23; Fairbank, ibid. p. 263; Oates, S. F. v, p. 167; Hume $ 

 Dav. S. F. vi, p. 472 ; Hume $ Bourd. S. F. vii, p. 39 ; Ball, S. F. 

 vii, p. 230 ; Cripps,ibid. p. 307 ; Anders. Yunnan Exped., Aves, 

 p. 686 ; Hume, Cat. no. 924 ; Doig, S. F. viii, p. 372 j Legge, 

 Birds Ceyl. p. 1132 ; Vidal, S. F. be, p. 88 ; Butler, ibid. p. 433 ; 

 JReid, S. F. x, p. 74 ; Davidson, ibid. p. 323 ; Hume, ibid. p. 416 ; 

 Oates, B. B. ii, p. 245 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 378 ; id. Jour. Bom. 

 N. H. Soc. vi, p. 143 ; Hume, S. F. xi, p. 332 ; Oates in Hume's 

 N. Sf E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 235. 



Phoyx manillensis, Sharpe, Bull. B. O. C. iii, p. xxxviii (1894). 



The Purple Heron, Jerdon ; Nari, Ldl-sain, Ldl-anjan, H. ; Khijra > 

 in Behar ; Lal-kank, Beng. ; Pamula nari-gadu, Tel. ; Sannari, Tarn. ; 

 Karawal-koka, Singh. ; Khyung byaing, Arrakan ; Nga-hit, Burm. 



Coloration. Forehead, crown, long occipital crest, a streak down 

 the back of the neck, one on each side down the side of the neck, 

 and another streak on each side from the gape to the nape slaty 

 black ; chin and throat white ; rest of head and neck ferruginous 

 red, paler and buff on sides of head and middle of fore neck ; long 

 feathers overhanging upper breast buffy white, streaked with black 

 and chestnut ; lower hind neck, back, rump and upper tail-coverts, 

 wings and tail slaty grey, the back darker, and the quills and 

 tail-feathers blackish ; scapulars with long pointed rufous ends ; 

 middle of breast and abdomen and lower tail-coverts slaty black ; 

 sides of breast rich chestnut ; flanks ashy grey ; thigh-coverts 

 cinnamon ; wing-lining mostly ferruginous. 



Young birds have neither crest nor lengthened plumes on the 

 scapulars or breast ; the upper parts are brownish grey, with 

 broad rufous edges to the feathers ; crown partly grey ; neck 

 rufous, fore neck with black streaks ; lower surface a mixture of 

 buff and grey. 



This Heron is distinguished from the Purple Heron of Europe, 

 Africa, and South-western Asia {A. purpurea) by wanting the 

 black streaks on the fore neck. 



Bill deep yellow, brownish above ; orbital skin greenish yellow ; 

 irides yellow ; tarsus reddish brown, yellowish behind and on the 

 soles of the feet (Jerdon). 



Length 38 ; tail 5'25 ; wing 14-5 ; tarsus 5-5 ; bill from gape 6. 

 Toes very long, the middle toe and claw as loog as the tarsus. 



Distribution. Throughout the Oriental region. Common in 

 suitable localities throughout India, Ceylon, and Burma. 



Habits, <$fc. A shy skulking bird, that generally hides in high 

 reeds, and may, as Jerdon remarks, often be observed with its 

 head and long neck protruded above the grass. It is not found in 

 open ground, and it roosts on low trees ; it not unfrequently feeds 

 at night. When disturbed it rises with a harsh cry. It breeds- 



