ARDEA 567 



Belaya Tschepura, Russ. ; Akwach, Tartar ; Gheti, Wag el abiad, 

 Arab. ; Mallang-bagla, Hindu. 



^ ad. (Volga). Entire plumage pure white ; feathers on the hind- 

 crown and lower neck elongated and pointed ; a large bunch of fitiform 

 hair-like plumes extends from the lower back beyond the tail ; bill black ; 

 bare space round the eye greenish yellow ; legs dark brown, the bare tibia 

 paler ; iris yellow. Culmen 5'6, wing 16*3, tail 6'6, tarsus 7*2 inch. Female 

 similar but rather smaller. After the breeding season the elongate dorsal 

 plumes are cast, and in the winter the bill is yellow. The young bird 

 resembles the adult in winter but has the plumage laxer, the legs paler 

 and tinged with yellow, and the bill much paler yellow. 



Hob. Southern and south-eastern Europe, rarely straying as 

 far north as Great Britain and Sweden ; Africa as far south as 

 Natal ; Asia east to Burma, the Indian peninsula, and Ceylon. 



In general habits this species resembles A. cinerea, and like 

 that bird frequents rivers, streams, lakes, and large morasses, 

 feeding on fish, frogs, aquatic insects, &c. It is companionable 

 not only to others of its own species, but to allied species. Its 

 call-note is a harsh deep rah, and that of the nestling kekkekkek 

 like that of A. cinerea. It nests in societies, usually placing its 

 nest on a tree, but sometimes amongst the dense reed- thickets. 

 The nest is constructed of dry twigs, reeds, and flags, lined 

 with finer leaves of aquatic plants, and the eggs, usually 4, but 

 occasionally 5, in number, are deposited late in March or early 

 in April, and are blue like those of A. cinerea, but smaller, 

 measuring about 2*44 by T65. 



792. SMALLER WHITE EGRET. 

 ARDEA INTERMEDIA. 



Ardea intermedia, Wagler, Isis, 1829, p. 659 ; Dresser, vi. p. 238 ; 

 (Sharpe), Cat. B. Br. Mus. xxvi. p. 85 ; (Blanf.), F. Brit. Ind. Birds, 

 iv. p. 386 ; Seebohm, B. Jap. Emp. p. 217. 



Patangkha, Patokha-bagla, Hindu. ; CMu-sagi, Jap. 



ad. (Japan). Differs from H. alba in being smaller, in having the 

 dorsal summer plumes much longer ; bill bright orange, in summer tipped 

 with horn ; facial skin green ; legs and toes black ; iris yellow. Culmen 

 2'9, wing 12-1, tail 5-2, tarsus 4'5 inch. 



Hal. The Indian peninsula and Ceylon ; Northern Burma ; 

 China, Japan, south to the Malay Peninsula and Islands, Java 

 and the Philippines. 



