66 AEDEID^ HBBODIAS 



Within our limits this fine Egret seems everywhere a scarce 

 bird ; it has only once been recorded from Cape Colony, but is more 

 often met with further north, as the following list of localities 

 shows : Cape Colony — Great Fish River (Albany Mus.), Orange 

 Eiver, near Aliwal North, once seen (Whitehead); Natal — near 

 Maritzburg (Fitzsimmons), Lower Umkomas and Lower Umfolosi 

 Eiver, in Zululand (Woodward) ; Orange Eiver Colony — Kroonstad, 

 March, scarce (Symonds) ; Transvaal — Potchefstroom, scarce, 

 January, September (Ayres), Lichtenburg district (HoluJ)), Lim- 

 popo Eiver (Buckley); Ehodesia - Matopos (S. A. Mus.), Lower 

 Gurbi Eiver (Marshall) ; German South-west Africa (Andersson) ; 

 Zambesi Eiver (Alexander). 



Habits. — This handsome bird appears to resemble other Egrets 

 in its habits, haunting reedy pools and swamps, and feeding on fishes, 

 frogs and other aquatic animals. It is a rare bird, very shy and 

 wary, and usually solitary. 



It is not known to breed in South Africa, but in its more fre- 

 quented haunts it nests in societies, sometimes making use of a tree 

 for this purpose, while at other times the nest is placed low down 

 amongst dense reeds. The eggs, usually four in number, are pale 

 blue like those of other Herons. « 



690. Herodias brachyrhyncha. Yellow-billed Egret. 



Egretta flavirostris, {nee Temm.) Bjp. Consp. Av. ii, p. 116 (1855). 



Herodias brachyrhynchos, Brelim, Journ. Ornith. 1858, p. 471 ; Shelley, 

 B. Afr. i, i:). 157 (1896) ; Woodward Bros. Natal B. p._ 193 (1899) 

 Marshall, Ibis, 1900, p. 266 ; Beichenow, Vog. Afr. i, p.'389 (1901). 



Herodias flavirostris, Ourney, Ibis, 1859, p. 249, 1860, p. 205. 



Avdea egretta, Laynnl. B. S. Afr. p. 308 (1867) ; Barratt, Ibis, 1876 

 p. 210. 



Herodias intermedia {nee Wagler), Ourney, in Andersson's B. Damaral. 

 p. 289 (1872) ; Ayres, Ibis', 1877, p. 349 ; Shelley, Ibis, 1882, p. 363 

 [Spaldings] ; Sliarpe, ed. Layard's B. S. Afr. p. 714 (1884) ; Symonds 

 Ibis, 1887, p. 335 ; Fleck, Jonrn. Ornith. 1894, p. 387. 



Mesophoyx brachyrhyncha, Shar^ye, Cat. B. M. xxvi, p. 87 (1898) 

 " Intarga " of the Matabele (Ayres). 



Description. Adult Male. — Plumage pure white throughout 

 head slightly crested but with no ornamental plumes ; dependent 

 ornamental plumes consisting of feathers with the webs entirely 

 broken up, developed on the foreneck and on the scapular region, 

 the former 5 to 6 inches, the latter 12 to 13 inches in average 

 specimens, and projecting considerably beyond the end of the tail. 



