BUBULCUS COKOMANDUS. 



(THE CATTLE -EGRET.) 



Cancroma coromanda, Bodd. Tabl. PL Enl. 54 (1783). 



Ardea caboga, Franklin, P. Z. S. 1830-31, p. 124. 



Herodias lubulcus (Sav.), apud Blyth, Cat. B. Mus, A. S. B. p. 280 (1849). 



Ardea lubulcus (Sav.), Layard, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. 1854, xiv. p. 111. 



Buphus coromandus (Bodd.), Jerdon, B. of Ind. iii. p. 749 (1864) ; Holdsw. P. Z. S. 1872, 



p. 477 ; Legge, Ibis, 1874, p. 30, et 1875, p. 276. 

 Bubulcus coromandtis (Bodd.), Hume, Str. Feath. 1874, p. 309, et 1879 (List B. of Ind.), 



p. 114 ; Salvadori, Uccelli di Borneo, p. 350 (1874) ; David & Oust. Ois. de la Chine, 



p. 441 (1877). 

 Ardea coromanda (Bodd.), Hume, Nests and Eggs, iii. p. 618 (1875). 

 Le Crabier de Coromandel, Buff. Hist. Nat., PL Enl. 910 ; Garde-bceuf de Coromandel, 



French ; Cattle-Heron, Europeans. Boria bagla, Gai bagla, Hind. ; Samti konga, 



Telugu; Kantal chilik, Java; Siveko-puti, lit. "White Heron," Celebes (Meyer); 



Huni koku, lit. " Tick-Heron," Ceylonese Tamils. 

 Gehri-koka, lit. " Cattle-Heron," Sinhalese. 



Adult male and female (Ceylon). Length 19-5 to 20-2 inches ; wing 9-3 to 9-75 ; tail 3-4 ; tarsus 3-3 to 3-5 ; bare 

 tibia 1-5 ; middle toe 2-4, claw (straight) 0-7; bill to gape 2-9 to 3-1, at front 2-3 to 2-45. Middle claw highly 

 pectinated. 



Adults. (Nepal) Length 19-5 to 21-7 inches ; wing 9-5 to 10-5 ; tail 3-4 to 4-0 ; tarsus 3-0 to 3-5 ; bare tibia 1-4 to 

 1-8 ; bill from gape 2-8 to 3-1 (Scully). (Irrawaddy) Length 19-2 to 20-2; wing 9-3 to 9-9 ; tarsus 3-3 to 3-7 ; 

 bill from gape 3-4 to 3-45 (Armstrong), (Amoy) Wing 9-5 to 10-0 inches ; tail 3-2 ; bare tibia 1-4 ; tarsus 3-4 ; 

 bill to gape 2-9. 



Summer plumage (Ceylon). Iris pale golden yellow ; bill, loral skin, and eyelid yellow ; loral skin tinged with greenish ; 

 tarsi and feet black ; tibia yellow ; soles greenish yellow. 



Feathers of the head, neck, and chest glistening reddish golden, the white bases on the throat and neck showing, but not 

 so on the head and crest, which latter is 2 inches in length and somewhat stiff ; chin white ; down the centre of the 

 fore neck a dividing white streak ; upper back and lengthened " decomposed " plumes reaching nearly to the end 

 of the tail sandy golden yellow ; the upper part of the interscapular region and the lower part of the hind neck 

 almost white ; rest of the plumage white : abdomen and under tail-coverts slightly tinged with buff. 



Both pectoral and flank " powder-down tracts " are highly developed in this Egret ; they are white, buff at the base. 



Non-breeding plumage (Ceylon). Iris, bill, and legs as in summer dress, except that the hue of the bill is not so bright 



and the tibiae are black. 

 Entire plumage white ; a slight wash of golden buff on the crown and lower part of the fore neck ; the back also 



tinged with buff ; occipital feathers not lengthened, and the dorsal train wanting. The amount of buff on the 



forehead and neck is variable in individuals. 



Young. Covered with " long, coarse, golden-yellow and hair-like feathers " (Meyer). 



Obs. The yellow summer plumage appears to be more highly developed in some individuals than in others. An 

 example from Amoy, before me, has the golden yellow descending over the breast ; other specimens are similar to 

 the one above described, and a Sumatran example is identical with Ceylonese skins. 



7h 



