1852.] Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. 439 



fulvous-whiteground. Tail lightish, brown, obscurely waved ; with a broad 

 medial black band, another subterminal, and a third narrower near the 

 base. We doubt this being either of M. Lesson's supposed species ; and it 

 certainly is not the ordinary Malayan type of Peknis figured by Dr. S. 

 Muller, which is identical with the Indian P. cristata, at least that of 



6. H. concolor: Bemigretta concolar, Blyth, J. A. S. XV. 372. Hab. Ara- 

 kan, Nicobar Islands. Like H. asha in general appearance, but altogether stouter, 

 with longer wings and shorter tarse ; generally of an uniform dark slaty hue 

 throughout, with sometimes a white line down the middle of the throat, and occa- 

 sionally perhaps a buff line as in some examples of H. jugularis. The crest 

 feathers are looser with more disunited webs than in H. asha ; the pendent plumes 

 over the breast are similar ; as also the train, except that the long narrow tips 

 occupy a much larger portion of the plumes. Bill yellowish mixed with brown. 

 Toes and claw more or less of the shank yellow. An adolescent young specimen 

 retains two or three of its nestling wing-coverts, which are dull slaty with broad 

 pale tip ; indicating that the young are dark like the parents, but have at least the 

 wings speckled like the young of Nycticorax, Butorides, &c. Bill to forehead 

 3J or 3§ in. ; tarse Sin. ; middle toe and claw 2\ in. ; closed wing 11 in. 



The next and last to be noticed is pure white when young or in non-breeding 

 livery, with the exception of constantly a rusty tinge on the crown, and sometimes 

 on the ear-coverts ; but in breeding dress the head and neck-plumes are largely 

 tipped with bright glistening rufo-fulvous, and the train consists of straight hair- 

 like feathers, of an albescent rufous hue. Bill small and weak ; and the habits of 

 this bird are remarkable, as it rarely fishes, but feeds mainly on grasshoppers and 

 other insects, to obtain which the flocks commonly associate with herds of cattle 

 grazing. 



7. H. bubulcous: Ardea bubulcus, Savigny ; A. lucida, Raffinesque ; A. 

 &quinoctialis, Montagu ; A. coromandelensis, Stephens ; A. bicolor et A. rufica- 

 pilla, Vieillot ; A. russata, Temminck ; A. affinis, Horsfield ; A. coromandelica, 

 Lichtenstein ; A. Veranii, Roux; A. leucocephala, Cuvier; A. caboga, Franklin; 

 A. ibis, Hasselquist. Hab. Asia and its islands, Africa, S. E. Europe. Bill 

 bright yellow at base, orange towards tip ; legs dull black, greenish underneath the 

 toes ; in the young pale greenish. Bill to forehead 2£ in. ; tarse 3£ in. ; middle 

 toe and claw 3g in. ; closed wing 10 in. 



Remark. The texture and colouring of the train approximates this species to the 

 Ardeola group, consisting of A. comata, leucoptera, speciosa, and probably 

 ludoviciana ; while the preceding species somewhat approximates the Butorides 

 group, composed of B. j avanica, virescens, gutturalis, stagnatilis, macro- 

 rhynchos, &c, if notalso the Nycticorax violaceus, auctorum. H. concolor 

 would indeed range naturally as a small typical Ardea, but can hardly be separated 

 from H. jugularis with its white variety, wherever this be stationed ; and the great 



3 k 2 



