482 BRITISH BIRDS. 



Great White Egret, nor is the bird as local. It is resident and breeds in 

 most suitable localities throughout the whole of Africa and the Cape-Verd 

 Islands, occasionally visiting the Canaries and the Azores. To Europe 

 it is only a summer migrant, breeding in Spain, the delta of the Rhone, 

 Sardinia, Sicily, the -valley of the Danube, and South Russia ; but a 

 few remain during winter in the extreme east of the Mediterranean. To 

 the rest of Europe it is an accidental straggler, or occurs on migration in 

 every country south of the Baltic. It occurs in Palestine, Asia Minor, 

 and Persia, and is a resident in India, Ceylon, Burma, and the main 

 island of Japan. It is a summer visitor to North China ; but is a resident 

 in South China, and occurs probably in winter in Java, Sumatra, the 

 Philippines, Celebes, and Australia. 



The nearest ally to the Little Egret is Ardea occidentalis. The crest of 

 this bird resembles that of the Little Egret, but its bill is yellow at all 

 seasons of the year, and the bird itself is very large, frequently exceeding 

 the Great White Egret in size. It is found in South Florida and Cuba. 

 Two other White Egrets are very nearly allied to the Little Egret ; but 

 may easily be distinguished from it by the much greater number of plumes 

 in the occipital crest. A. candidissima inhabits the Southern United 

 States, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and does not differ from the 

 Little Egret in size or in colour of bill. A. eulophotes, from South China 

 and Formosa, is a slightly smaller bird than the Little Egret, but has a 

 yellow bill all the year round. 



The Little Egret is a summer visitor to Europe, arriving in Southern 

 Spain early in April, and in Greece towards the end of March, but not 

 reaching its breeding-grounds in the valley of the Danube until early in 

 May. The nests are completed about the end of May, and eggs are 

 laid during the first half of June. It is constantly seen on the wing 

 during the breeding-season. Although it breeds principally in the densest 

 willow-thickets, it frequents open marshes, sand-banks, and shallows in the 

 river, and the margins of the streams, where its snow-white plumage 

 makes it an extremely conspicuous bird. In its flight it resembles the 

 other species of Herons, proceeding with steady flaps of its broad wings, 

 having the head drawn up between the shoulders, and the legs extended so 

 as to make a straight line with the beak. It is not quite so gregarious as 

 the Squacco Heron, being seldom seen in large parties except at the nests. 

 Upon the ground it walks about with the sedate and easy action of the 

 other Herons. It can scarcely be called a shy bird ; but is nevertheless 

 very difficult to shoot except at its breeding-colony. It may often be seen 

 standing in the water, but does not show any partiality for perching in 

 trees except in the vicinity of its nest. 



The food of the Little Egret consists principally of fish and water- 

 plants, but it also eats aquatic insects, frogs, and worms. 



