ARDEID^ 



HBEODIAS 



69 



dress as also the young birds resemble the breeding male, but are 

 without the ornamental plumes. 



Distribution.— Tlhe Little Egret is spread over Southern Europe 

 and Asia from Spain to Japan, the Philippines and the Malay 

 Peninsula ; it also occurs all over Africa and Madagascar in suitable 

 locahties. Within our limits this Egret appears to be fairly common 

 and widely spread in favourable situations throughout all the 

 Colonies and Territories, and to be in most districts a resident. 

 The following are recorded localities : Cape Colony— Cape division, 

 November, December, Stellenbosch, Caledon, August, Tulbagh, 

 October (S. A. Mus.), Berg Eiver, breeding (Layard), Knysna, 





Fig. 19. — Head of Herodias garzetta. 



October (Victorin), Port Elizabeth, common (Brown), King 

 Williams Town, scarce (Trevelyan), Orange Eiver, common (Brad- 

 shaw) ; Natal — Durban harbour (Ayres), Newcastle district (Butler); 

 Transvaal — Potchefstroom, January, June (Ayres and Barratt) ; 

 Bechuanaland — Lake Ngauii, common (Andersson) ; Ehodesia — 

 rare (Marshall) ; German South-west Africa— scarce (Andersson), 

 Okavango Eiver, July (Fleck) ; Zambesi Eiver, common (Alexander). 

 Habits. — This Egret like others of its kind, is usually met with in 

 small flocks about the mouths of rivers near the sea and inland in 

 vleis and marshy places, where it obtains its food, consisting of fishes, 

 frogs, and small Crustacea. Layard found the stomachs of two 



