ARDEINiE. ERODIUS. 135 
white ; bill yellow ; bare preocular space greyish-green ; feet 
black. 
This species, which is said to occur abundantly in the east- 
ern parts of Europe, and to straggle occasionally to its west- 
ern shores, has been met with in a few instances in England. 
It has not been well described from British specimens, 
and albinos of Ardea cinerea, it would appear, have some- 
times been taken for it. Mr Strickland, however, has given 
an account of several individuals. 
Great White Heron. 
Ardea alba, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. 239. — Ardea alba, Lath. 
Ind. Ornith. ii. 695. — Ardea Egretta, Temm. Man. d’Ornith. 
iv. 372. — Erodius albus, White Egret, MacGillivray, Brit. 
Birds, iv. 
225. Erodius Garzetta. Curl-plumed White Egret. 
Length about two feet ; bill slender ; plumage soft and 
blended ; occipital feathers considerably elongated, three 
of them very long, slender, tapering, compact ; those of the 
lower part of the neck similarly elongated and tapering; 
dorsal plumes with the shaft very slender, straight, recurved 
at the end ; plumage white ; bill black ; bare preocular space 
green ; bare part of tibia, and upper half of tarsus black, 
lower part and toes greenish-yellow. The female similar to 
the male, but a little less. Young white, without occipital 
or dorsal plumes, the bill yellow for more than half its 
length. 
Male, 24, . . , lOf, 3 A,. 4*, 2*> 
This beautiful Egret is said to occur in various parts of 
Asia, Africa, and the south of Europe, and to migrate north- 
ward as far as Germany. In England it is merely an acci- 
dental visitant, and in Scotland has not, I believe, been met 
with. 
Little White Egret. 
Ardea Garzetta, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. 937. — Ardea Garzetta, 
Lath. Ind. Ornith. ii. 694. — Ardea Garzetta, Temm. Man. 
d’Ornith. ii. 574.' — Erodius Garzetta, MacGillivray, Brit. 
Birds, iv. 
226. Erodius russatus. Buff-backed Egret. 
Length about twenty inches ; bill stout ; tail slightly emar- 
ginate. Adult with the feathers of the hind-head and neck 
elongated, hair-like, and reddish-yellow ; dorsal plumes slen- 
der, decomposed, and of the same colour ; fore part of breast 
