294 Mr. T. Ayres on the Ornithology of Transvaal. 
Ardea purpurea, Linn. Purple Heron. 
Female, adult, Potchefstroom, 7th June, 1884. Stomach 
contained small perch. 
These Herons are still tolerably numerous about the 
swamps of the Potchefstroom district, though their numbers 
are gradually decreasing, owing, no doubt, to the increase of 
shooting and to the reed-beds where they breed being disturbed 
by the cutting of the reeds for thatching. 
Ardea rufiventris, Sund. Rufous-bellied Heron. 
One of these Herons was shot by my brother on the river 
Limpopo, at its junction with the river Matlabas. 
Butorides atricapilla (Afzel.). African Black-headed 
Heron. 
Male, immature, river Hex, Rustenburg district, 8th 
December, 1883. 
This species is not found in the Potchefstroom district, but 
is not uncommon here and there in certain localities in the 
warmer parts of Transvaal. 
[As neither edition of Mr. Layard's work describes the 
immature plumage of this Heron, it may be well to mention 
that it differs from the adult dress in the presence of a tri¬ 
angular spot of huffy white on each feather of the wing- 
coverts except those of the least coverts, where the corre¬ 
sponding spots are brown and are also smaller; the scapulars 
are spotted like the greater coverts, and the interscapulary 
feathers are marked with spots resembling those on the lesser 
coverts, but not so dark ; the sides of the head are streaked 
alternately with black and brown, and a few minute brown 
streaks are interspersed amongst the black feathers of the 
crown ; the whole under surface of the body differs from that 
of the adult bird in being variegated with alternate longi¬ 
tudinal striations of blackish slate-colour and huffy white.— 
J. H.G.] 
Ardetta podiceps, Bon. Rufous-necked Little Bittern. 
Female, adult, Potchefstroom, July 1884. 
[In f The Ibis ’ for 1878, p. 300, I expressed an opinion 
that an immature Little Bittern, sent by Mr. Ayres from 
