136 
ARDEINiE. CICONIA. 
and back tinged with cream-colour, the rest of the plumage 
white ; bill pale yellow ; feet dusky anteriorly, yellowish be- 
hind. Young without elongated feathers, pure white, ex- 
cept the head, which is tinged with yellow; bill pale yellow, 
feet dusky-green. 
Male, 20, . ., 9 if, 3p 2 T 5 ^, y 8 ^-. 
According toWagler, this species occurs in Greece, Spain, 
and Italy ; in Persia, Egypt, Nubia, Cyprus, and Senegam- 
bia; is not unfrequent in southern Africa, common in Java, 
and, as it would appear, in New Holland. The only speci- 
men obtained in Britain is a female, shot near Kingsbridge, 
In the end of October 1805, and presented to Montagu, who 
described it, but mistook it for Ardea sequinoctialis of Lin- 
naeus. The error was detected after it had, along with his 
collection, been transferred to the British Museum. 
Ardea russata, Wagler, Syst. Av.— Ardea russata, Temm. 
Man. d’Ornith. iv. 377. — Erodius russatus, Buff-backed 
Egret, MacGillivray, Brit. Birds, iy. 
GENUS CXVII. CICONIA. STORK. 
The Storks resemble the Herons, but differ from them in 
being of a more robust form, with the bill larger, the toes 
shorter, the claws convex and obtuse, and that of the middle 
toe without serrature. The body large and compressed ; the 
neck long and rather thick ; the head ovate and moderately 
compressed. Bill much longer than the head, straight, stout, 
conical, moderately compressed, tapering to a point ; upper 
mandible with the dorsal line straight, very slightly decli- 
nate at the end, the sides sloping and a little convex, the 
ridge obtuse, no nasal sinus or groove, the edges sharp and 
direct, the tip acute ; lower mandible with the angle very 
long and narrow, the dorsal line ascending and very slightly 
convex, the sides inclined outwards and somewhat convex, 
the edges sharp, the tip acute ; gape-line straight, com- 
mencing under the eyes. Nostrils oblong, perforated as it 
were in the bill near the ridge. Eyes small, surrounded by 
a bare space. Aperture of ear roundish, rather large. Legs 
very long, rather slender ; tibia bare for about half its 
length, reticulated ; tarsus long, compressed, reticulated all 
round ; hind toe short, and slightly elevated ; anterior toes 
of moderate length, webbed at the base, scutellate, but at 
