225 



ARDEA MELANOCEPHALA. 



(BLACK-NECKED HERON.) 



Ardea melanocephala, Childr. & Vig. App. to Denh. & Clappert. Trav. p. 201 (1826). 

 Ardea atricollis, Wagl. Syst. Av. Ardea, sp. 4 (1827). 



Ad. pileo cristato, plumis quatuor pendulis ornato, genis et collo postico saturate ardesiacis : dorso plumbe- 

 scenti-cinereo viridi lavato : plumis scapularibus elongatis pendulis lanceolatis cinereis, exterioribus 

 lactescenti-albis : dorso postico clare cinereo : tectricibus alarum plumbeis viridi lavatis, majoribus 

 cinereis, plus minusve canescentibus : remigibus et rectricibus saturate plumbeis : gutture toto albo : 

 collo inferiore ardesiaco, nigro vario : jugulo albo lineis lanceolatis ardesiacis longitudinaliter striato : 

 corpore reliquo subtus pulcbre cinereo : subalaribus et pennis axillaribus pure albis : pedibus nigris : 

 maxilla nigra, mandibula flavicante : iride flava. 



Adult. Head, which is ornamented with four pendent plumes, ear-coverts, and back of the neck blackish 

 grey ; upper part of the back dull leaden grey, with a slight greenish lustre ; lower part of the back 

 clear grey ; scapulars for the most part leaden grey, tinged slightly with green like the back, all the 

 feathers elongated and lanceolate in form, some of the central and outer feathers clear grey, verging 

 into cream-colour ; wing-coverts dark grey with a slight green lustre, the oiitermost clear grey : quills 

 dark leaden grey, some of the primaries tipped with brown, the secondaries somewhat paler grey, also 

 tinged with greenish ; tail dark grey, some of the outer feathers tipped with brownish ; chin and throat 

 pure white ; upper portion of the neck blackish grey like the head, a few of the feathers being centred 

 with white ; lower down the neck is white, the feathers being edged with dark grey, all the plumes 

 elongated and hair-like ; under surface of the body clear grey, somewhat inclining to white ; under tail- 

 coverts dark grey, streaked down the centre with white; under wing- coverts and axillary plumes pure 

 white; legs and feet black; upper mandible black, under mandible greenish yellow, as also the skin 

 round the eye; eye light yellow (Ayres). Total length 31*5 inches, culm 3 - 0, wing 15 - 8, tail 6*2, 

 tarsus 4*4. 



Young, before the first moult. Upper part of the head, neck, scapulars, and upper wing-coverts of an ashy 

 grey, tinged with brown and washed with green between the shoulders, and more or less washed with 

 rufous on the other parts ; sides of the head grey shaded with blackish, and having a black spot below 

 the eye ; throat and sides of the neck white washed with pale rufous, relieved in the centre of the neck 

 by narrow longitudinal stripes of yellow; lower part of the neck and breast of a pale grey, washed with 

 very light rust-colour ; rest of the underparts of the body of a yellowish white ; outer border of the 

 wing and axillary plumes white ; quills bluish black, less intense than in the adult, with the secondaries 

 externally bordered with grey; tail-feathers bluish black; beak rather more yellow than in the adult; 

 feet tinged with reddish; feathers of the crest and breast scarcely so long as in the adults. 



The Black-necked Heron is only a straggler to Europe ; and the following account of its 

 occurrence is taken from the work of MM. Degland and Gerbe : — 



"We recorded in the 'Revue Zoologique' for 1854 the occurrence of this bird in Provence. 

 A magnificent male, in fully adult plumage, in the collection of M. Jauffret de Draguignan, was 



