62 AEDBID^ ABDEA 



Colony — Vredefort Road (B. HamiltoD) ; Transvaal — Potchefstroor 

 July (Ayres), near Pretoria, June (Gates), Unigpopie River in Zou 

 spansberg, May (W. Ayres) ; Rhodesia — Pandamatenka (Holub] 

 German South-west Africa — Gt. Namaqualand, Damaraland, an 

 Ondonga, November (Andersson) ; Portuguese Bast Africa — Zambe 

 (Kirk and Alexander). 



Habits. — This Heron does not differ from other species of th 

 same genus in its habits. It is generally to be found along river 

 or in marshy ground, though said to be occasionally seen in dr 

 pastures ; its food consists chiefly of fishes, but it will also devoi 

 snakes, lizards, small mammals and insects ; as a rule it goes solitai 

 or in pairs, and retires at night to roost in high trees. 



On the Berg River it is stated by Layard to nest among th 

 reeds ; but more frequently it chooses a high tree for this purpos( 

 as stated by Smith and Mr. W. Ayres. Major Sparrow tells me th£ 

 he found a nest on October 2nd, placed in a tree growing out of 

 cliff close to the Incandu waterfall near Newcastle in Natal. Tb 

 eggs, which are usually three in number, are like those of oth« 

 Herons, pale blue, and nearly equally rounded at both ends ; the 

 measure about 2-5 x l'7o. 



588. Ardea purpurea. Purple Heron. 



Ardea purpurea, Linn. Syst. Nat. 12th ed. i, p. 236 (1766) ; Ourne^ 

 Ibis, 1860, p. 220 [Natal]; Kirlc, Ibis, 1864, p. 332; Layard B. i 

 Afr., p. 306 (1867) ; Gurney, Ibis, 1868, p. 468 [Transvaal] ; Ayre 

 Ibis, 1869, p. 802 ; Layard, ibid, p. 376 ; Gurney, in Andersson' s 1 

 Damaral. p. 286 (1872) : Buckley, Ibis, 1874, p. 390 ; Dresser, 1 

 Eur. vi, p. 217, pi. 396 (1875) ; Barratt, Ibis, 1876, p. 210 ; HoIia 

 Sf- PeUeln, Oni. Siid-Afr. p. 271 (1882) ; Butler, Feilden and Beu 

 Zool. 1882, p. 344 ; Sharjpe, ed. Layard' s B. S. Afr. p. 710 (1884; 

 Ayres, Ibis, 1886, p. 294 ; Shelley, B. Afr. i, p. 157 (1896) ; Wooc 

 ward Bros., Natal B. p. 196 (1899) ; Marshall, Ibis, 1900, p. 266 

 Alexander, Ibis, 1900, p. 440; Reichenow, Vog. Afr. i, p. 377 (1901 

 Haagner, Ibis, 1902, pp. 574, 580; Shortridge, Ibis, 1904, p. 205. 



Phoyx purpurea, Sharpe, Cat. B. M. xxvi, p. 60 (1898). 



Pyrrherodias purpurea, Oates, Cat. B. Eggs, ii, p. Ill (1902). 



Description. Adult male.— Grov/n black, the feathers on tt 

 occiput elongated, with two long plumes extending a good wa 

 beyond the others ; a black band down the back of the neck, an 

 two other black bands on each side, the rest of the neck bein 

 rufous ; a rufous band through the eye bordered below by a blac 



