134 
ARDEINiS. ERODIUS. 
Viet. 
Alb. 
Egr. 
Alb. 
Length, 
44i 
40 
37 
40 
Extent of wings, 
66 
*4 74 
55 
Bill along the ridge, . 
4t 9 * 
4x2- 
Gape-line, 
io§ 
5* 
Height of bill, . 
m 
Wing from flexure, 
18i 
16 
16J 
Tail, . 
7 
64 
«i 
Bare part of tibia, 
5i 
3tX 
34 
34 
Tarsus, 
7t 9 * 
6* 
fixV 
64 
Third toe, 
H 
H 
314 
4| 
Its claw. 
n 
T IS 
A 
It will be seen how greatly our new species exceeds the 
others in the bare space on the tibia, in the tarsus, and in 
the middle toe. All the individuals described were adult, 
with the dorsal plumes in the same state. 
It is clear that Erodius Victoria exceeds E. albus in size, 
as much as the latter exceeds the American Egret. Its bill, 
however, is more slender than that of either, and its tarsi and 
toes much longer, while the bare part of the tibia greatly 
exceeds that of the rest. I have examined the digestive or- 
gans of E. Victories and E. Egretta, but not of E. albus. Of 
the first, the oesophagus was 28 inches long, 2J- inches wide 
at the proventriculus ; stomach 2 inches in diameter, with a 
pyloric lobe 10 twelfths in breadth ; intestine 9 feet 1 inch, 
from 3 to 2 twelfths wide* 
Not finding this bird anywhere described or figured, al- 
though it may have been confounded with E. albus, and al- 
though it may possibly be the Egretta nigrirostris of Mr 
Grey and the Prince of Canino, whose names, however, can- 
not be admitted unless they have minutely described or fi- 
gured the species to which they have given it,— — I propose 
naming it after our most gracious Queen, it being, in my esti- 
mation, as worthy as a bird can be of such an honour. The 
specimen examined, beautifully prepared by Mr Carfrae, is 
now, I understand, in the possession of the Earl of Haddington, 
224. Erodius albus. European White Egret. 
Length nearly three feet and a half ; occipital feathers very 
slightly elongated ; dorsal plumes with the shaft stiffish, 
straight, and extending a little beyond the tail ; plumage 
