THE SQUACCO HERON. 211 



feathers of lower -throat and upper-breast golden-buff unstriped ; 

 mantle much pinker, less brown ; scapulars golden-buff, and 

 renewed innermost secondaries more buff and less brown ; crest- 

 feathers still longer than in winter. 



Nestling. — (Not examined.) 



Juvenile. — No long crest-feathers and scapulars not with 

 elongated separated rami ; crown black-brown, feathers with 

 yellowish-white shaft-streaks and edges at base ; neck and sides of 

 head and throat pale yellow-cream with narrow dark brown stripes ; 

 mantle rather more earth-brown than winter adult, scapulars same 

 with yellowish centres at tips of feathers ; back, rump and upper 

 tail-coverts and under-parts white with tinge of yellow-buff on 

 tibia ; tail and wing-feathers white, mottled brown at tips and along 

 outer webs of primaries, which also have brown shafts, innermost 

 secondaries brown ; primary-coverts more or less mottled brown 

 and shafts brown at base ; wing-coverts pale yellow-cream with 

 pale mottled-brown stripes along edges chiefly of outer feathers. 



First winter. — No very long crest -feathers, and rami of scapulars 

 only a little elongated and separated ; crown, neck and throat 

 much like adult but stripes not so blackish and buff paler and more 

 creamy ; mantle and scapulars more rusty-brown, not so earth- 

 coloured as juvenile nor so pinkish as adult, and scapulars usually 

 with narrow yellow-buff central streaks at tip. The juvenile body- 

 plumage is moulted July-Dec, but not wing- or tail-feathers nor 

 wing -coverts. 



First summer. — A body-moult takes place as in adult, after 

 which bird is much like adult summer, except for primaries, which 

 still have brown shafts and some brown mottling at tips, though 

 this mostly wears off wing-coverts and tail-feathers. 



Measurements and structure. — $ wing 200-230 mm., tail 70-80, 

 tarsus 55-65, bill from feathers 60-70 (12 measured). $ wing 200- 

 225, bill 60-67. Primaries : 2nd longest, 3rd usually as long but 

 sometimes 5 mm. shorter, 1st usually 5 mm. shorter but sometimes 

 as long, 4th 2-7 shorter, 5th 10-15 shorter, 6th 18-28 shorter ; 2nd 

 to 4th slightly emarginated outer webs. Rest of structure as in 

 Common Heron. 



Soft parts. — Bill, upper mandible blackish-horn, basal half of 

 cutting edge yellowish-green, lower mandible yellowish-green with 

 cutting edge at tip blackish-horn ; bare loral region yellow-green ; 

 legs and feet yellow-green ; iris lemon-yellow. 



Characters. — No subspecies. Dark upper-parts and striped crown 

 and crest, shorter wing and tarsus and longer bill distinguishes it 

 from Buff -backed Heron. 



Breeding-habits.— Generally met with in breeding colonies of 

 other species, but usually in smaller numbers. Nest. — Usually 

 flimsy structure of twigs placed on tamarisk bushes, but sometimes 

 also among sedges and water- vegetation, and also on branches of 

 trees over water. Eggs. — Much smaller than those of allied species ; 



VOL. II. p 2 



