130 
shown, an 
American 
one, has been 
an especial 
sufferer, for 
in America 
this con- 
temptible 
persecution 
of breeding 
birds has 
been carried 
to a great 
extent. The 
name “Os- 
PREY, SO 
curiously ap- 
plied to the plumes, is probably a corruption 
of the French “ esprit,’ by which these 
feathers were known in the time of the 
naturalist Pallas, who wrote about a century 
ago. All the true egrets are pure white. 
The Cocot Heron is also an American 
species, but confined to the southern half of 
the New World. It much resembles our 
common grey heron, but differs conspicuously 
by its black cap. 
Photograph by W. P. Daido, F.Z.S. 
SELOUS'S 
Wa" 
THe Two Frye Mane Ostricuus from 
Masailand, of the larger of which a portrait 
Is given, agree with the North-African Ostrich 
(Struthio camelus) in having pale necks and 
legs without any tinge of grey; these parts in 
the males of the Cape and Somali ostriches 
being blue-grey or lead-colour. The Cape 
Ostrich is now dead, but the Somal Ostrich 
which has been lately acquired shows the 
difference in complexion well. These dark- 
skinned ostriches are nowadays separated 
specifically, the Cape Ostrich being called 
Struthio australis, and the Somalh bird 
S. molybdophanes. The female and young 
of the latter bird. now also on view, are 
pale-skinned, and the difference does not seem 
a very important one, seeing that, according 
to Mr. Cronwiright Schreier, dark- and 
fair-skinned ostriches both occur on farms 
at the Cape. 
Wa 
Toaps form the 
tion on page 132. 
clief subject of illustra- 
Many persons have a 
ANTELOPE. 
Animal Life 
great objec- 
tion to these 
—we were 
going to say 
reptiles, but 
this is not 
zoologically 
correct, and 
we must 
therefore 
style them 
ain phibians. 
Nevertheless, 
they are 
really very 
interesting 
creatures, 
and although some of them are downright 
ugly, others, like the Moorish, or Panther, 
toad (Bufo mawritanica) of North Africa, 
are very prettily coloured. This particular 
species 1s coloured very like our own natter- 
jack. The black-spotted species (B. melano- 
stictus), shown in our second illustration, 
which ranges from India to China, takes 
its name from the black warty pustules 
with which the limbs and body are covered, 
and is further remarkable for the presence 
of a paw of ridges on the head between 
the eyes. The chief claim to distinction of 
the South American and West Indian Giant, 
or Aqua, toad (B. marinus) is its huge 
size; the length being frequently as much 
as six inches, and the width of the body 
when in the usual squatting posture two- 
thirds of this. The skin is very warty, 
and the general colour dark brown above, 
with black patches. These creatures appear | 
in swarms on moist evenings, and hop 
instead of crawhng; as the males utter a 
kind of snorting bark, they are rather apt 
to alarm strangers not used to them ways. 
The Lizard (Caloter versicolor) shown in 
the left lower illustration is a member of 
an Indo-Malay genus of so-called agamoids, 
all of which are remarkable for their habit 
of changing colour after the fashion of 
chameleons. They are easily distinguished 
by the presence of a crest down the head 
and back, and the long tail; and im some 
the males have a large throat-sac.. 
