398 ARDEID.E. 



Distribution. Central and Southern Europe and Asia, the whole 

 of Africa, and the greater part of North America with the West 

 Indies. The Night Heron is found throughout India, Ceylon, and 

 Burma, locally distributed in the better-watered tracts. 



Habits, $c. This Heron passes the day in large trees such as 

 mangoes or tamarinds, or in palms, considerable numbers often 

 associating together. After sunset they fly off to feed on fish, 

 frogs, &c. Their flight is heavy, and they often, when flying, utter 

 a characteristic cry, something like qwdl ; from this call one name 

 by which they are widely known in India is taken. These Herons 

 breed, often in company with other species of Herons. Egrets, &c., 

 in trees, especially those stauding in swamps, or sometimes in high 

 reeds or grass ; they make the usual stick nests, and lay four or five 

 pale sea-green eggs that measure about 1-92 by 1-35. The usual 

 breeding-season in India and Burma is July and August, but in 

 Kashmir it is earlier, April and May, and in Ceylon earlier still, 

 about March. 



Genus GORSACHIUS, Bonap., 1855. 



Bill stout and short, culmen shorter than middle toe and claw, 

 which measure considerably less than the tarsus ; groove on upper 

 mandible large and deep ; nostrils large and open. Eeet small ; 

 liind toe long ; toes bordered by a narrow membrane ; tarsus 

 reticulated. Neck short and densely feathered ; head crested ; 

 tail short, of 12 feathers. 



Two species are known, both from the Oriental Region ; one is 

 Indian. 



1569. Gorsachius melanolophus. The Malay Bittern. 



Ardea melanolopha, Raffles, Tr. Linn. Soc. xiii, p. 326 (1822). 

 Tigrisoma melanolopha, Blyth, Cat. p. 281 ; Layard, A. M. N. H, 



(2) xiv, p. 114. 

 Gorsachius melanolophus, Blyth, Ibis, 1865, p. 38; Holdsivorth, 



P. Z. S. 1872, p. 478 ; Blyth, Birds Burin, p. 160 ; Hume $ Dav. 



S. F. vi, p. 484 ; Godw.-Aust. J. A. S. B. xlvii, pt. 2, p. 21 ; Legge, 



Birds Ceyl. p. 1169 ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 260; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. 



xxvi, p. 166. 

 Gorsakius melanolophus, Hume, S. F. ii, p. 312 ; Bourdillon, S. F. 



vii, p. 524; Hume, Cat. no. 936 bis; id. S. F. ix, p. 230; 



Hvme ST Inglis, ibid. p. 259 ; Butler, ibid. p. 435 ; Barnes, Birds 



Bom. p. 386 ; Hume # Cripps, S. F. xi, p. 336 ; Davidson. Jour. 



Bom. N. H. Soc. vi, p. 340. 



Coloration. In adults the crown and long nuchal crest are 

 black, washed with ashy grey ; sides of head to above the eyes, 

 and sides and back of neck light chestnut ; upper parts generally, 

 including wing-coverts, cinnamon speckled with black, the black 

 forming close imperfect wavy bars ; outer primary-coverts black, 

 tipped with white ; quills black, chestnut towards the ends and 

 tipped with white ; upper tail-coverts dark rufous-brown ; tail 

 blackish, rufescent towards the end ; chin and throat white ; fore 

 neck and upper breast isabelline brown with black streaks, passing 



