Subgenus HERODIAS. 



Bill slenderer and the gonys sharper than in Ardea ; nostrils slightly oblique ; tibia also 

 barer ; the tarsal scales more rectangular. 



Plumage white ; dorsal plumes elongated and highly decomposed in the breeding-season. 



HER0DIA8 ALBA. 



(THE LARGE WHITE EGRET.) 



Ardea alba. Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 239 (17G6); Layard, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. 1854, xiv. 



p. Ill ; Von Heuglin, Orn. N.Ost-Afr. ii. p. 1063 (1873) ; Dresser, B. of Eur. pt. 77-79 



(1880). 

 Ardea modesta, Gray & Hardw. 111. Ind. Zool. ii. pi. 49 (1834). 

 Herodias syrmatojjhorus, Gould, B. of Austr. vi. pi. 56 (1848). 

 Herodias alba (Linn.), Blyth, Cat. B. Mus. A. S. B. p. 279 (1849); Jerdon, B. of Ind. iii. 



p. 744(1864); Holdsw. P. Z. S. 1872, p. 477; Legge, Ibis, 1875, p. 403; David & 



Oust. Ois. de la Chine, p. 439 (1877) ; Hume, Str. Feath. 1879 (List B. of Ind.), p. 114 



(in part). 

 Herodias torra (Buch. Hamilton), Eume, Str. Feath. 1878 (B. of Tenass.), p. 472, et 1879 



(List B. of Ind.), p. 114. 

 Great White Heron, Lath. ; Heron aigrette, French; de groote Zilverreiger, Dutch ; Gans, 



Dutch in Ceylon (Layard) ; Garses, Portuguese in Ceylon. Mallang bagla, Torra bagla, 



Hind. ; Dhar bagla, Bengal. ; Vella koka, lit. " White Heron," Tamils in Ceylon. 

 Baddadel-Jcoka, Sinhalese. 



Characteristics. No crest; no pectoral plumes ; long dorsal train in breeding-plumage. 



Adult mole and female. (Ceylon) Length 37-0 to 40-0 inches : wing 13-5 to 15-0 ; tail 5-0 to 6*0; tibia (bare) 3-5 to 

 5-0; tarsus Cro to 7'1 ; middle toe 3-5 to 3 - S, claw (straight) 0-6 ; bill at front 3-d to 4-5, to gape 4-9 to 5-8. 

 (India, Tenasserim) Length 35-0 to 38'5 : wing 13*2 to 17 - 2 ; tail 5-5 to 7-0 ; tarsus 5-25 to 7-9 ; bill at front 

 :»-72 to 5-0 {Hume, Scully). (China) "Wing 14-2 to 14-75 ; tail 5-0 to 5-2 ; tarsus 6-0 to 6-5 ; bare tibia 4-5 ; 

 bill at front 4-3 to 4-5. (Egypt) Length 42-0 ; wing 16-5 ; tarsus 7'6 : bill at front 5-0 {Scully). (N.E. Africa ) 

 Length 36-1 to 36-4 ; wing 14-1 to 15-45 ; tarsus 5-."il to 645 : bill at front 4-1 to 4-S5 {Heuglin). (Russia) 

 Wing 161 to 163 ; tail 6-4 to 6-5 ; bare tibia 3-5 to 4-2 ; bill to gape 6-0 to 6-4. (Syria) Wing 16-0 ; tail 6-5 ; 

 tarsus 7'0; bare tibia 4'0 ; bill to gape 6-0 {Dresser). (Australia) Wing 13-0; tail 5-0; tarsus 5-3 ; bare tibia 

 3*62 : 1 ill at front 4-3. (Kashgaria) Male. Wing 17-0 : bill at front 5-05, from gape 6-6 ; tarsus 7-7 {Scully). 



Breeding-plumage. Iris bright pale golden yellow ; bill blackish ; loral skin and space round eye greenish yellow; 

 legs and feet black ; tibia paler than the tarsus. 



Entire plumage white ; a train of long feathers, with stout shafts and very open lengthened and drooping barbs, arises 

 at the base of the scapulars and extends 4 inches beyond the tail. The bill remains black a very short time, 

 turning yellow long before the dorsal train is moulted ; the tip, however, is black at this stage. 



Winter plumage. Bill yellow, the tip dusky ; tibia as black as the tarsus. 



A> in summer, but with the dorsal train wanting. In Juue this plumage is complete. 



Young. Nestling covered with white down ; the legs brownish. 



Obs. The Indian race of the Large "White Egret has been separated by Mr. Hume as H. torra, on account of its small 



