.BUBULCUS. 389 



1562. Bubulcus coromandus. The Cattle Egret. 



Cancroma coromanda, Bodd. Tabl. PI. Enl. p. 54 (1783). 



Herodias bubulcus, apud Blyth, Cat. p. 280 ; Irby, Ibis, 1861, p. 245 ; 

 nee Ardea bubulcus, And. 



Buphus coromandus, Jerdon, B. I. iii, p. 749 ; Stoliczka, J. A. S. B. 

 xli, pt. 2, p. 254 ; Butler, S. F. iv, p. 23 ; Fairbank, ibid. p. 263 ; 

 Hume $ Dav. S. F. vi, p. 481 ; Ball, S. F. vii, p. 230. 



Bubulcus coromandus, Hume, S. F. i, p. 256 ; Adam, ibid. p. 399 ; 

 Hume, S. F. ii, p. 309 ; Ball, ibid. p. 434 j Armstrong, S. F. iv, 

 p. 349 ; Cripps, S. F. vii, p. 307 ; Hume, Cat. no. 929 ; Scully, 

 S. F. viii, p. 361 ; Doig, ibid. p. 372 ; Legge, Birds Ceyl. p. 1147 ; 

 Vidal, S. F. ix, p. 89 ;' Butler, ibid. p. 434; Reid, S. F. x, p. 75 ; 

 Davidson, ibid. p. 323 ; Hume, ibid. p. 416 ; Oates, B. B. ii, 

 p. 251; id. in Hume's N. $ E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 247; Barnes, 

 Birds Bom. p. 381 ; id. Jour. Bom. N. H. Soc. vi, p. 145 ; Hume, 

 S. F. xi, p. 333 ; Skarpe, Cat. B. M. xxvi, p. 217. 



? Herodias melanopus, apud Oates, S. F. iii, p. 190. 



? Ardea bubulcus, apud St. John, Ibis, 1889, p. 178, nee Aud. 



Surkhia-bagla, Badami-bagla, Doria-bagla, H. ; Gai-bogla, H. & Beng. ; 

 Samti-tonga, Tel. ; Huni koku, Tarn. (Ceylon) ; Gehri-koka, Cingnalese. 



Fig. 92. Head of B. coromandus. . 



Coloration. In winter or when not breeding pure white. In 

 breeding-plumage the head, neck, and long dorsal plumes are 

 orange-buff, the latter varying to pinkish or brownish buff ; chin 

 and fore part of neck white ; the dorsal plumes decomposed and 

 scarcely extending or not extending beyond the tail. 



Bill, loral skin, and eyelids yellow; loral skin tinged with 

 greenish; iris pale golden yellow ; tarsi and feet black, tibia yellow, 

 soles greenish yellow (Legge}. 



Length 20 ; tail 3-75 ; wing 10 ; tarsus 3*5 ; bill from gape 3. 



Distribution. India, Ceylon, and Burma ; South-eastern Asia, 

 and the islands as far as Corea, the Philippines, and the Moluccas. 

 ^Habits, fyc. Common and resident throughout the better 

 watered parts of the Empire, but far less commonly seen about 

 swamps than other Herons. This Egret is a constant attendant 

 on cattle, either oxen or buffaloes, frequently perching on their 

 backs, and feeding mainly on the insects that are attracted 

 by cattle and on grasshoppers. Vast numbers of this species 

 breed together, often in company with Egrets, Pond Herons, 

 &c. ; they make the usual nest of sticks in trees, and lay 3 to 5 

 very pale greenish eggs, measuring about 1/71 by 1*32. The 

 breeding-season is from June to August in most parts of India, 

 but in the Carnatic in November and December. 



