HERON. GRALLATORES. ARDEA. 27 
colour, each feather being bordered with black. From 
the nape of the neck proceed eight or ten long, narrow, 
subulated feathers, which hang down as low as the 
back ; they are white, with a narrow border of black on 
each side. The chin and throat are also white; the 
rest of the neck and the breast sienna-yellow. From 
the upper part of the back, immediately behind the 
shoulders, proceed long feathers, with open, hair-like 
decomposed barbs; these cover the whole of the back 
and scapulars, equalling the tail in length; their colour 
is a deep sienna-yellow, tinged towards the upper part 
of the back with lavender-purple. The wings and sca- 
pulars are white, slightly tinged in parts with pale 
sienna-yellow, The abdomen, vent, thighs, rump, and 
tail are pure white. The bill, for nearly two-thirds from 
its base, is pale azure-blue; the remainder black. The 
lores are greenish-yellow. The irides bright sulphur- 
yellow. The legs dusky, tinged with red. The under 
part of the toes, and about the tarsal joint, greenish-yel- 
low. In the mature state, the plumage of both sexes is 
alike ; but the crest of the male bird is generally long- 
est. 
The young have not the occipital crest; and the entire 
plumage of the head and neck and the wing-coverts are 
of a wood-brown colour, with longitudinal streaks of a 
darker hue. The dorsal plumes are wanting, and the 
upper part of the back and the scapulars are brown. 
The throat, rump, and tail, are white; the quills have 
their exterior webs ash-grey, and their interior ones 
white. The upper mandible is brown, tinged with oil- 
green; the under one yellowish-green. The lores are 
greenish-grey. Legs and toes yellowish-green. 
