111 SQTJACCO HERON.
darker in colour towards the point; 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 bead, with a dark line along each outer edge. e 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 violetcolour;
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 lit lie 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 arc wanting. Greater and lesser
wing coverts, of a brown colour, tinged with buff, with longitudinal
streaks of a darker hue. The primaries have the exterior webs ash
grey, and the interior ones white; tertiaries, reddish brown at the
ends; le^s and toes, yellowish green.