380 ARDEID.E. 



Herodias garzetta, Lin. 



927. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 746 ; Butler, Guzerat ; 



Stray Feathers, Vol. IV, p. 23 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol. 



IX, p. 433 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 270 ; 



Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 136. 

 THE LITTLE EGRET. 



Length, 24 to 25 ; wing, 9'8 to 11'4 ; tail, 3'9 ; tarsus, 37 to 

 4-6 ; bill at front, 31 to 3'6. 



In breeding plumage, as in the others, white ; a pendent occi- 

 pital crest of two or three long feathers ; dorsal train of decom- 

 posed feathers long, and in fine specimens curving upwards at the 

 extremity, some lengthened pectoral feathers also. 



The bill is always black. 



In non-breeding dress the occiptal crest and the dorsal aod 

 pectoral plumes are wanting. 



The Little Egret is very common throughout the district. 



The remarks about breeding apply to this species also. 



GENUS, Demi-egretta, Blyfh. 



Bill long, slender, otherwise much as in Herodias, but the 

 adult plumage is dark, the young birds alone being white. 



Demi-egretta gularis, Bole. 



928. D. asha, Sykes. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 746 ; 



Butler, Guzerat ; Stray Feathers, Vol. IV, p.. 23 ; Deccan, 



Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 434 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology 



of Sind, p. 271. 



THE ASHY EGRET. 



Length, 24; wing, 10'25 ; tail, 3'25 ; tarsus, 3'95 ; bill at front, 

 3-5. 



Bill reddish-yellow, dusky above ; orbitar skin yellow-green ; 

 irides yellow ; legs blackish ; the feet and lower part of the 

 tarsus yellowish. 



Adult in breeding season has the whole plumage dusky-slaty ; 

 the chin and throat white ; an occipital crest ; a dorsal train of 

 decomposed feathers not reaching to the end of the tail ; and a 

 pectoral plume of narrow and pointed not decomposed feathers. 



In the cold season entirely of a slaty color, the throat alone 

 white. 



Young birds are pure white throughout, or, according to Layard, 

 have some of the wing-coverts edged with grey. At the first 

 breeding season they assume the dark slaty color, with traces 

 of white on the winglet and lower surface in some ; specimens in 

 a state of change are, of course, much varied with white. 



The Ashy Egret or White-throated Reef Heron is fairly 

 common along the coast, but does not seem to occur far inland, 

 unless on very large sheets of water. 



