92 AEDBID^ BOTAUBUS 



Feilden and Eeid, Zool. 188'2, p. 344; Sharpu, ed. Layard's B. S. 



Afr. p. 722 (1884); Symonds, Ibis, 1887, p. 334; Fleck, Journ. 



Oniith 1894, p, 888 ; Shelley, B. Afr. i, p. 158 (1896) ; Woodward 



Bros. Natal B. p. 198 (1899). 

 Botaurus oapensis, Ayres, Ibis, 1869, p. 300 ; Sharjie, Cat. B. M. xxvi, 



p. 257 (1898). 

 Botaurus stellaris capensis, Reichenow, Vog. Afr. i, p. 364 (1901) ; 



" Eoerdomp " of the Dutch. 



Description. Adult male. — General colour tawnj'-buff, passing to 

 nearly white, everywhere mottled and freckled with dark brown to 

 black ; crown and nape, where the feathers are elongated to form 

 a crest, and a moustachial streak from the gape below the eye and 

 ear-coverts black ; wing-quills black, mottled with rufous-brown, but 

 not regularly barred as in the European bird ; below the chin is 

 white, the rest of the lower surface pale tawny-buff; the feathers 



Fig. 25. — Head of Botaunts capensis. x J 



of the neck which are elongated and spread out on either side to 

 form a species of ruff, narrowly Lauded with transverse markings of 

 dark brown on either side, with ill-defined lines of tawny along the 

 centres ; a few of the longer feathers of the breast with broad and 

 almost black centres, those of the abdomen with a few narrow 

 streaks ; iosides of the thighs and under tail-coverts hardly marked, 

 outsides of the thighs and flanks with the axillaries and wing-coverts 

 more strongly mottled. 



Iris yellow to hazel ; bare space round the eye ashy fulvous ; 

 bill light greenish-ash ; legs pale green. Length about 28'0 ; wiug 

 ■ 12-25 ; tail 4-25 ; culmen 2-45 ; tarsus 3'4 ; middle toe 4-25. 



The female is very similar to the male but is slightly smaller. 

 This species differs from the European Bittern only in its slightly 

 smaller size and less barred wing-quills. 



