HERONS. 295 



of the neck externally white and internally black, frequently with reddish shaft- 

 stripes. The iris is yellow, the lore green, the upper mandible black, the lower 

 mandible greenish yellow at the tip and many -coloured at the base, while the legs 



GREY HERONS AND THEIR NEST. 



and feet are black. This heron is widely distributed over Africa ; and in 1845-46 

 numerous specimens were obtained by Blyth in the market at Calcutta, since 

 which date, according to Mr. Hume, there is no definite record of its occurrence in 

 India, although it may have been seen in Ceylon. 



