96 
SQUACCO HERON. 
iris, bright yellow; forehead, yellowish brown, each feather 
bordered with black. The feathers on the crown of the 
head are pale yellowish brown, streaked longitudinally with 
dark lines, the feathers becoming elongated towards the back 
of the head, with a dark line along each outer edge. ‘The 
feathers forming the occipital plume are eight, or nine, (or 
ten,) in number, and from four to six inches in length; 
lanceolate, pointed, pure white along the centre, bounded on 
each side with a blackish line, with a very narrow terminal 
margin of white. The colour a pale reddish brown in those 
upon the surface, passing into a delicate buff-colour in those 
underneath.’ Neck on the sides and front downwards, rich 
yellowish buff; chin, throat, and breast on the upper part, 
pure white; below the latter is pale orange cream-colour. 
Back above, pale orange cream-colour, lower down rich 
yellowish buff, with a tinge of violet-colour, the feathers 
elongated, the webs disunited, each filament having the 
appearance of a single hair. These long feathers reach to 
the end of the wings when closed. 
The wings have the first and third quill feathers equal in 
length, and only a very little shorter than the second, which 
is the longest in the wing; the axillary plume pure white. 
Primaries, secondaries, and some of the tertiaries, white; part 
of the latter tinged with buff.' Tail, pure white; tail coverts, 
also white; legs, dusky yellowish brown, tinged with red; about 
the joint, greenish yellow; toes, brown above, yellow underneath; 
claws, black. 
The female resembles the male, but the crest is usually 
not so long. 
In the young the upper bill is brown, tinged with dark 
green; the under one yellowish green. The head is without 
the occipital crest. The descending marks on the neck are 
longer and broader, and the lighter ground-colour more 
mixed with brown; throat, white; back, reddish brown, but 
the dorsal plumes are wanting. Greater and lesser wing 
coverts, of a brown colour, tinged with buff, with longitu¬ 
dinal streaks of a darker hue. The primaries have the 
exterior webs ash grejq and the interior ones white; tertiaries, 
reddish brown at the ends; legs and toes, yellowish green. 
