20 AKDEID^E 



Several other occurrences of more doubtful origin are 

 cited in Mr. Harting's ' Handbook of British Birds,' 1901, 

 pp. 439-441. 



The Great White Heron is common in many countries 

 of Southern Europe as well as in Asia and Africa. 



DESCRIPTIVE CHARACTERS. 



PLUMAGE. Adult male nuptial Entire plumage white ; 

 the filamentous feathers on the back are long, and form 

 a considerable tuft ; at the root of the neck there is another 

 tuft of smaller proportions. 



Adult female nuptial. Similar in colour to the male, 

 but with shorter plumes. 



Adult winter, male and female. The long feathers of 

 the back are absent. 



Immature, male and female. The dorsal plumes are not 

 assumed until the second spring. 



BEAK. Black during the nesting-season, yellow in the 

 winter (Saunders). 



FEET. Brownish-black. 



IRIDES. Yellow. 



EGGS. Light greenish-blue ; clutch, three to four. 



AVERAGE MEASUREMENTS. 



TOTAL LENGTH 35 in. Female smaller. 



WING ... ... 17 



BEAK ... ... ... 6 ,, 



TARSO-METATABSUS ... 7*75 ,, 



EGG ... 2'5 X 1*5 in. 



LITTLE EGRET. Ardea garzetta (Linnaeus). 



Coloured Figures. Gould, ' Birds of Great Britain,' vol. iv, pi. 

 23 ; Dresser, ' Birds of Europe,' vol. vi, pi. 399 ; Lilford, 

 * Coloured Figures,' vol. vii, pi. 7. 



In the south of Europe, especially in those countries 

 which fringe the Mediterranean, as well as over a wide area 

 of the Asiatic and African Continents, the Little Egret is 

 tolerably common, but it very seldom wanders as far north 

 as the British Isles. The majority of British records are 

 unreliable, indeed, Mr. Saunders, in his ' Manual of British 

 Birds,' p. 373, states "as far as I can learn, the only 

 example about which there can be no doubt, is an adult 



