HERODIAS SYRMATOPHORUS, Gould. 
Australian Egret. 
Herodias syrmatophorus, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part XIV. 
This noble species of Egret, the largest of the group inhabiting Australia, is very generally dispersed over 
all parts of that continent, and is equally to be met with along the rivers and lagoons of the interior as well 
as in the neighbourhood of the coast. I have often seen it near the mouth of the Hunter, but it is more 
frequently met with on the banks of the Clarence and other rivers little frequented hy civilized man. I ob- 
served it also in Van Diemen’s Land in the vicinity of George’s River, and the other unfrequented streams 
to the northward of the island. The specimen from which my drawing is taken, the acquisition of 
which enabled me to figure the soft parts correetly, was killed on the 2nd of January 1840, on the hanks of 
the Mokai near Mr. Uhr’s station. It is of an extremely shy and distrustful disposition, and can only he 
approached within range by the exercise of the utmost care and caution. Its powers of wing are consider- 
able, and like other Herons it occasionally performs long-continued flights at a great height in the air; its 
food is also of a similar character, consisting of fish, frogs, aquatic insects, &c. When on the ground its 
snowy plumage presents a strong and pleasing contrast to the green sedgy and other herbage clothing the 
hanks of the rivers. 
That it undergoes seasonal changes of plumage is evident, since I possess specimens, some of which are 
adorned with long ornamental plumes on the back, as represented in the Plate, while in others they are 
entirely wanting, from which I infer, that as they all appear to be old birds, they have been killed at different 
periods of the year, and that these ornamental plumes are only carried during the months of spring and 
the breeding-season. 
The sexes are precisely alike in external appearance, and both possess the lengthened plumes during the 
vernal season. 
The whole of the plumage pure white ; irides rich straw-yellow ; naked space before and behind the eye 
fine greenish yellow ; bill beautiful orange ; legs above the knee pale dull yellow, which colour is continued 
down the centre of the inner part of the tarsi ; remainder of the tarsi and feet black. 
I'he Plate represents a male about two-thirds of the natural size. 
