SQUACCO HERON. 
139 
eighteen to twenty inches ; the head, or rather the 
head and nape are crested, the feathers amount 
in number to eight or ten, and are so long as to 
reach the hack, they are pure white, relieved 
by a narrow border of black on each side. The 
wings, and lower parts of the bird, are nearly pure 
white, but the upper parts are almost hidden from 
view, by a series of long hair-like feathers, which 
spring immediately from behind the shoulders, and 
exceed the tail in length ; these are of a deep 
sienna-yellow, tinged with purple on the back. 
It is from these plumes that the name “ comata” 
of Pallas has been taken ; and we may state here, 
that we have some doubt whether that name or 
“ ralloides” of Scopoli should have the priority ; 
the chin and throat are white, and the neck and 
breast are sienna- yellow. Mr. Selby states the 
base of the bill, for nearly tw r o-thirds of its length, 
to be pale azure-blue, black towards the end. The 
legs dusky, tinged with red. Mr. Yarrell again 
describes the bill to be greenish-brown, darkest 
towards the point. The legs yellowish -brown. 
In the young birds, the plumage has no pure 
white, except that of the tail, which is nearly so, 
and the dorsal plumes are wanting ; the colour is 
wood-brown, streaked on the head, neck, and 
wing-coverts, with a darker shade ; the bill and 
legs are tinted with yellowish-brown. 
