ARDEINJE. ERODIUS. 135 



white ; bill yellow ; bare preocular space greyish-green ; feet 

 black. 



This species, which is said to occur abundantly in the east- 

 ern parts of Europe, and to straggle occasionally to its west- 

 ern shores, has been met with in a few instances in England. 

 It has not been well described from British specimens, 

 and albinos of Ardea cinerea, it would appear, have some- 

 times been taken for it. Mr Strickland, however, has given 

 an account of several individuals. 



Great White Heron. 



Ardea alba, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. 239. Ardea alba, Lath. 

 Ind. Ornith. ii. 695. Ardea Egretta, Temm. Man. d'Ornith. 

 iv. 372. Erodius albus, White Egret, MacGillivray, Brit. 

 Birds, iv. 



225. ERODIUS GARZETTA. CURL-PLUMED WHITE EGRET. 



Length about two feet ; bill slender ; plumage soft and 

 blended ; occipital feathers considerably elongated, three 

 of them very long, slender, tapering, compact ; those of the 

 lower part of the neck similarly elongated and tapering ; 

 dorsal plumes with the shaft very slender, straight, recurved 

 at the end ; plumage white ; bill black; bare preocular space 

 green ; bare part of tibia, and upper half of tarsus black, 

 lower part and toes greenish-yellow. The female similar to 

 the male, but a little less. Young white, without occipital 

 or dorsal plumes, the bill yellow for more than half its 

 length. 



Male, 24, . . , lOf, 3 r y 4^ 2 T ,, ,V 



This beautiful Egret is said to occur in various parts of 

 Asia, Africa, and the south of Europe, and to migrate north- 

 ward as far as Germany. In England it is merely an acci- 

 dental visitant, and in Scotland has not, I believe, been met 

 with. 



Little White Egret. 



Ardea Garzetta, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. 937- Ardea Garzetta, 

 Lath. Ind. Ornith. ii. 694. Ardea Garzetta, Temm. Man. 

 d'Ornith. ii. 574. Erodius Garzetta, MacGillivray, Brit. 

 Birds, iv. 



226. ERODIUS RUSSATUS. BUFF-BACKED EGRET. 



Length about twenty inches ; bill stout ; tail slightly emar- 

 ginate. Adult with the feathers of the hind-head and neck 

 elongated, hair-like, and reddish-yellow ; dorsal plumes slen- 

 der, decomposed, and of the same colour ; fore part of breast 



