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G. A. C. HERKLOTS
wing coverts yellowish buff. Facial skin, margins of upper mandible and lower mandible yellow, culmen black. Tarsus and toes yellow,
In both these two species the tibia is feathered to the base; this is not the case in Schrenck's Little Bittern which is also the smallest of these three bitterns.
The Eastern Great Bittern, Plate No. 22.
Length 26-30 inches, billl inches. MALE. Above tawny-yellow and black, the latter pre- dominating and occupying the centre of the feathers, the sides of which are tawny-buff, freckled and irregularly barred with black; lower back, rump, and upper tail-covers pale tawny-buff, mottled with bars or cross-lines of dusky brown. Marginal wing-coverts rufous, regularly barred across with black; median and greater coverts tawny-buff, with irregular bars or arrow- shaped markings of blackish brown, much less pronounced on the greater coverts, all of which have a rufescent tinge near the base; alula, primary- coverts, and quills blackish, barred with rufous, the bars somewhat broken up on the inner webs of the quills, which are also paler; the inner second- aries like the scapulars, being tawny-buff on their edges and mottled in a similar manner. Tail-feathers tawny-buff, irregularly mottled with black bars or cross-markings, more pronounced on the middle of the feathers. Crown of head uniform black, with a frill of erectile plumes on the nape, these being tipped with tawny-buff and the pale tips crossed with lines of black; eyebrow, sides of face, and sides of the neck tawny-buff the eyebrow uniform except on the under edge, where the feathers are barred with black; car-coverts scarcely marked at all, but the plumes of the sides of the neck narrowly barred with black, and elongated into a frill which covers the hind neck, the latter being clothed in dense down of a tawny-buff colour. The feathers below the eye, and a streak along the cheeks and down the sides of the neck, black; malar line of feathers and throat creamy white, with a cen- tral line of reddish buff feathers slightly mottled with black bases; the lower throat also creamy white, with four or five tolerably defined broad lines of tawny-buff and black-mottled feathers; the lower part of the ruff on the fore neck with narrow wavy lines of black. The breast covered with down of a tawny-buff colour, and hidden by a large patch of loose plumes on each side of the chest, which are mostly black with tawny-buff margins; remainder of under surface creamy white, streaked with black centres to the feathers, the black markings slightly broken up with mottlings of tawny- buff. Thighs and under tail-coverts with scarcely any markings whatever; under wing-coverts and axillars tawny-buff, the former narrowly lined with Bill blackish, the axillars more distinctly barred with dusky blackish. greenish yellow; legs and feet yellowish green; claws dark brown; iris
FEMALE. Similar yellow; bare space before the eye yellowish green.
male but colours less distinct and with finer black and brown penciling on wings and primaries. This species is distinguished by its large size relative- ly short and stout beak and heavy legs. The culmen is much shorter than the tarsus which is itself also shorter than the middle toe with claw.
Schrenck's Little Bittern. Length 12-13 inches. MALE. Above chestnut-brown; lesser wing-coverts and feathers round bend of wing also chestnut-brown; alula-feathers chestnut, outer ones blackish internally, with
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white on the outer margins; remainder of wing-coverts olive-clay-colour, ashy near the ends of the feathers, innermost greater-coverts chestnut like scapu- lars; innermost secondaries also washed with chestnut, remainder of quills and primary-coverts ashy brown, paler at the tips, which are fringed with whitish, the first primary margined with ocherous, Tail dark brown. Crown and nape dusky brown; sides of face, ear-coverts, and neck-frill marcon; a broad band of white running from the middle of the checks down the sides of the neck; fore part of cheeks, throat, and under surface of body ocherous-buff; under tail-coverts, under wing-coverts, and axillars white; on the throat some slight indications of longitudinal dusky spots; feathers of the fore neck elongated. On each side of chest a patch of black feathers with ocherous margins. ("A very prominent but irregular line of black it it from throat down the neck, joining a cross line of same across lower breast." Caldwell, p. 306). Bill blackish brown on culmen, yellowish brown on the rest, darker on the sides of upper mandiblle near tomia, light on sides of lower and on gonys; cére and bare skin round eye purplish flesh- colour, ringed with green; legs and toes grass-green, yellow near the tarso- tibial joint and on the under surface of the tarsus; soles clay-coloured; claws light yellowish brown; iris straw-colour. FEMALE. Dusky reddish brown, spotted all over with ocherous-buff, the feathers externally spotted or notched with this colour; wing-coverts like the back, but largely edged and spotted with ocherous. Head like the back; sides of face dull chestnut, with a band of white from the hinder cheeks down the sides of the neck; under surface of body ocherous-buff, plentifully streaked with blackish brown, tinged with rufous; the lower abdomen and under tail-coverts whiter; under wing-coverts deep ocherous, with ashy bases. A patch of brown feathers at the sides of the breast, all edged with ocherous. line of markings down the throat much more pronounced."
("The Caldwell
p. 307). YOUNG. Like the old female, but blackish brown above, the wing-coverts maroon-chestnut, and all the upper parts spotted with white instead of ocherous. Bill bright yellow, tinged with green; culmen black; feet yellowish green; iris golden yellow.
Yellow-necked or Black Bittern. Length 22 inches or more, bill 3 inches. MALE. Above dark slaty gray, feathers of back and scapulars somewhat pointed and with a slight hoary gloss; wings and tail blackish, glossed with slate-colour on the coverts, and with green on some of the latter and on the quills; crown and crest-plumes slaty gray. Sides of face and cheeks black, the latter slightly mottled with rufous; from the hinder part of the cheeks a band of golden straw-colour runs down the sides of the neck, the lower feathers being elongated; throat and fore neck prettily varie- gated with chestnut, black, and white, the chestnut predominating on the outer webs of the feathers and the white on the inner webs, with a longi- tudinal streak of black at the end of the latter, the long overlapping feathers on the sides of the chest being slaty gray with white margins, so that the general appearance of the throat and chest is streaked. Remainder of under surface of body slaty gray, including the under wing-coverts, axillars, and quill-lining. Bill dusky reddish brown, lighter below; facial skin purplish brown; eyelids bluish; feet dark brown; claws dark horn-colour; iris golden
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