Chapter IX: Preface (8)

This species has been reported from the Candaba Swamp in central Luzon and Worcester found it abundant in northern Luzon. He says: "I saw Antigone sharpei in large numbers in Cagayan and Isabela during my recent trip, 1906, through those provinces. I am informed that these birds nest on the ground in May, contenting themselves with scraping together and flattening down a little grass on which to deposit their eggs. About August they lose their long wing-feathers and when in this condition can rise but a few feet from the ground. The people of Isabela then pursue them on horseback and take them with lassoes, although according to the statements of the hunters the birds, aided by their wings, run about as fast as deer."

Order ARDEIFORMES.

HERONS, STORKS, IBISES, AND SPOONBILLS.

Body usually compressed; neck and legs very long; plumage full and soft; bill long, normally straight, wedge-shaped, and pointed, but in Ibididæ blunt and decurved, in Plataleidæ broadly spatulate; nostrils near base of bill, elongate; hind toe insistent or but slightly elevated. Nest made of sticks and twigs usually placed in a tree or bush; eggs three to five, blue and unspotted; young helpless at birth.

Suborders.

a1. Sides of upper mandible with a deep, narrow groove extending from nostrils to tip. ... Plataleæ (p. 157) a2. Sides of upper mandible without any groove.

b1. Claws broad and flat, that of middle toe not
pectinate. ... Ciconiæ (p. 159)
b2. Claws narrow and arched, that of middle toe with its inner edge
distinctly pectinate. ... Ardeæ (p. 161)

Suborder PLATALEÆ.

Families.

a1. Bill slender, nearly cylindrical, decidedly decurved for nearly its whole length. ... Ibididæ (p. 157) a2. Bill very broad, flattened, greatly widened toward the tip. ... Plataleidæ (p. 158)

Family IBIDIDÆ.

Bill long, compressed, and curved downward, its tip blunt and rounded; on each side of culmen a longitudinal groove in the basal portion of which the nostril is pierced.

Genus PLEGADIS Kaup, 1829.

Characters same as those given for the Family.

131. PLEGADIS AUTUMNALIS (Linnæus).

GLOSSY IBIS.

Tringa autumnalis Linnæus in Hasselquist, Reise Palæstina
(1762), 306.
Plegadis falcinellus Oates, Bds. Brit. Burmah (1883), 2,
271; Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1898), 26, 29; Hand-List
(1899), 1, 187; Oates, Cat. Birds' Eggs (1902), 2, 102; Mearns,
Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash. (1905), 18, 89; McGregor and Worcester,
Hand-List (1906), 31.

Mindanao (Mearns). China, Africa, Jamaica, Australia, eastern
United States, southern Europe to India.

"Adult.--Above black, with varying glossy reflections, either bronzy purple or green; upper mantle deep maroon-chestnut, as also lesser wing-coverts and scapulars, the latter having bronzy tips; median and greater coverts duller and more oily green with bronze or steel-green reflections; alula, primary-coverts, and quills entirely glossy green, secondaries with purplish reflections; lower back, rump, upper tail-coverts, and tail all black, with various reflections of purple and oily or bronzy green; head and neck all round, as well as under surface of body deep maroon-chestnut, somewhat lighter on the chest and breast; forehead and fore part of crown glossy green, as also base of cheeks and a slight shade below eye; under tail-coverts, under wing-coverts, and axillars black, with metallic reflections of green and purple, the quill-lining being similarly glossed. 'Bill and feet dark brownish olive, iris brown.' (Guillemard.) Length, 558; culmen, 132; wing, 284; tail, 99; tarsus, 107.

"Female.--Similar to the male in plumage, but smaller in size and with a somewhat smaller bill.

"The winter plumage would appear to be adopted after the bird has left for its winter quarters, as a male killed in Celebes on August 20 is still in full red plumage. The winter plumage of the adults appears to consist in the entire loss of the chestnut plumage of the head, back, and scapulars; the rest of the plumage remains metallic with the same varying shades of green and purple, but the wings are rather more bronzy and the wing-coverts brighter metallic green. The head and neck are entirely streaked with black and whitish, and in the spring the red feathers of the summer plumage are gained by a molt.

"Young birds are similar to the winter plumage of the adult, but are more of a metallic oil-green, without the beautiful shades which distinguish the adults at all seasons. The head is dusky brown, with a certain amount of white striping on the head and throat, but not so much as in the adult winter plumage." (Sharpe.)

Although the only authentic record of the occurrence of the glossy ibis in the Philippine Islands is that made by Mearns, there is every reason to look for it in Luzon and other of the larger islands.

Family PLATALEIDÆ.

Members of this family greatly resemble herons but differ in having the bill flattened and spatulate, the tip blunt and rounded; from each of the nostrils there is a groove which extends parallel to the edge of the mandible and meets the opposite groove at tip of bill.

Genus PLATALEA Linnæus, 1766.

Character same as those given for the Family.

132. PLATALEA MINOR Temminck and Schlegel.

LESSER SPOONBILL.

Platalea minor Temminck and Schlegel, Fauna Japonica Aves
(1850), 120, pl. 76; Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1898), 26,
50; Hand-List (1889), 1, 188; McGregor, Phil. Jour. Sci. (1906),
1, 766.

Luzon (Banks). Korea, Japan, China, and Formosa.

"Adult male.--Entirely white with a small but full nuchal crest; bare forehead black, the black skin extending just behind the eye and occupying the sides of the face, fore parts of cheeks, and upper throat, on which the white feathers impinge in a triangular form in the center; a yellow spot in front of the eye. 'Bill slate-color, transversely barred with black, the bars broken and disconnected on the spatule; apical edge black, succeeded by a patch and scattered spots of orange-ocher over the spatule, which is also freckled with light slate-color; inside of mouth deep indigo-black; inside of nostrils ocherous; bare skin of face black, with a bright yellow-ocher patch before eye, extending over under lid, and a thin line over upper lid; legs purplish black; iris blood-red.' (Swinhoe.) Length, 685; culmen, 183; wing, 371; tail, 107; tarsus, 121.

"Adult female.--Similar to the male. 'Bill flesh-color, longitudinally streaked and speckled with blackish, mottled and freckled with slate-color, chiefly about the spatule; bare skin of face dull purplish brown; feet purplish black; iris yellowish brown.' (Swinhoe.) Length, 660; culmen, 185; wing, 356; tail, 102; tarsus, 119.

"Young.--Differs from the adults in having a more yellowish bill, and blackish shaft-stripes to the quills; outer primaries blackish at ends of outer webs." (Sharpe.)

Mr. Charles S. Banks of the Bureau of Science brought the head of a spoonbill from Dagupan, Luzon, where he found this species not uncommon in November, 1907. While I have referred this specimen to Platalea minor its specific identity is uncertain.

Suborder CICONIÆ.

Family CICONIIDÆ.

Bill long, stout, compressed, and tapering, tip pointed; culmen straight except at the tip; nostril pervious in a slit; wing large; secondaries longer than primaries; tail short; tarsus about as long as culmen and covered with small hexagonal scales; hind toe about half the length of inner toe; nails short and blunt.

Subfamily CICONIINÆ.

Genus DISSÖURA Cabanis, 1850.

Character same as those given for the Family.

133. DISSÖURA EPISCOPUS (Boddaert).

WHITE-NECKED STORK.

Ardea episcopus Boddaert, Tabl. Pl. Enl. (1783), 54.
Dissura episcopus Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1898), 26, 294;
Blanford, Fauna Brit. Ind. Bds. (1898), 4, 370, fig. 87.
Dissöura episcopus Sharpe, Hand-List (1899), 1, 190; Oates,
Cat. Birds' Eggs (1902), 2, 105; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List
(1906), 31.

Basilan (McGregor); Bohol (Steere); Calayan (McGregor); Leyte
(Everett); Luzon (Heriot, Whitehead); Marinduque (Worcester);
Masbate (Bourns & Worcester); Mindanao (Everett, Celestino,
Goodfellow); Mindoro (Bourns & Worcester, McGregor); Negros
(Steere, Bourns & Worcester, Whitehead, Keay); Panay (Bourns &
Worcester); Samar (Whitehead). Tropical Africa, Indian and Malay
Peninsulas, Indo-Malay Islands, Indo-Chinese countries, Celebes,
Ceylon.

"Adult male.--Above black, glossed with metallic green and purple, more especially on hind neck; entire back and upper tail-coverts glossed with metallic green; tail-feathers black, not to be confounded with the under tail-coverts, which are white; the outer retrices black, graduated, and forming a fork; wing-coverts like the back, but more distinctly glossed, especially on the lesser series, which are metallic purplish red; quills black, glossed with slaty externally and with metallic green on the inner face of all the quills, crown of head blue-black as far as occiput; nape and entire neck white as well as the throat; chin less thickly clothed with feathers; breast black, slightly glossed with metallic green, but more strongly with reddish purple, especially on the fore neck and chest; abdomen and under tail-coverts white, the long ones stiffened and resembling tail-feathers; axillars and under wing-coverts black with a gloss of metallic green. 'Bill in general black, tinged with red on culmen, tips, and margins; legs and toes red; claws reddish horn-color; iris crimson; eyelids and facial skin plumbeous.' (Oates.) Length, about 915; culmen, 914; wing, 508; tail, 183; tarsus, 179.

"Adult female.--Similar to the male. 'Iris very pale, almost whitish hue.' (H. J. Rainey.) Length, 914; culmen, 145; wing, 470; tail, 183; tarsus, 157.

"Young birds differ from the adults in being much browner and not having so much gloss, the black feathers on the head being replaced by bronzy brown, the purplish gloss on the wing-coverts almost absent, and the purple gloss on the breast being replaced by dull bronzy brown. The forehead generally shows a basal line of white feathers, but these are also apparent in some of the old birds, and are apparently shed by them in course of time." (Sharpe.)

Specimens obtained in Mindoro have an unfeathered band along the under side of the forearm. The skin of this space is dark crimson.

"Rather rare and very shy. Usually seen soaring at great heights. Occasionally met with perching on dead trees, or wading about the rice-fields." (Bourns and Worcester MS.)

Suborder ARDEÆ.

Family ARDEIDÆ.

Bill generally slender, straight, and compressed; culmen slightly curved near its tip; tarsus covered with transverse plates or large hexagonal scales; toes long; claws well developed, usually sharp and curved; hind toe well developed, its claw larger than claw of middle toe, the latter pectinate.

Genera.

a1. Rectrices twelve.

b1. Bare portion of tibio-tarsus equal to or exceeding the inner
toe with claw.

c1. Middle toe with claw as long as tarsus or longer; claw of hind
toe more than half the length of hind toe itself and but slightly
curved; plumage variegated, never white. ... Pyrrherodia (p. 162)
c2. Middle toe with claw shorter than tarsus; claw of hind toe
curved; plumage nearly uniform slate-gray or largely white.

d1. Edge of mandibles distinctly serrated, a faintly indicated
notch near tip of upper mandible.

e1. Head crested, nape feathers elongated and ornamented;
plumage of fore neck long but not disintegrated; no dorsal
train; plumage uniform gray, or else, neck mostly white and
crest black. ... Ardea (p. 163)
e2. Head crested, without ornamental plumes; fore neck
with disintegrated plumes; an immense dorsal train; plumage
white. ... Mesophoyx (p. 165)

d2. Edge of mandible not serrated; a distinct subterminal notch
in upper mandible.

e1. Bill shorter; culmen not exceeding middle toe with claw.

f1. No crest plumes; a well-developed dorsal train; plumage
white. ... Herodias (p. 166)

e2. Bill longer; culmen exceeding middle toe with claw;
plumage white. ... Egretta (p. 167)

b2. Bare portion of tibio-tarsus less than inner toe; feathering
sometimes extending nearly to the heel.

c1. Bill without serrations in either mandible; upper mandible
with a distinct notch just before the end.

d1. Culmen longer than tarsus, the latter longer than middle toe;
plumage very dark slate-color. ... Demigretta (p. 168)
d2. Culmen not longer than tarsus; two or three elongated
nape plumes.

e1. Tarsus and culmen about equal; two or three elongated
nape plumes very slender. ... Nycticorax (p. 169)
e2. Tarsus decidedly longer than culmen; nape plumes
wider. ... Gorsachius (p. 172)

c2. Bill with distinct serrations near its end, sometimes only
the upper mandible serrated; subterminal notch obsolete.

d1. Bill moderately long, exceeding middle toe with claw;
plumage more or less variegated. ... Butorides (p. 174)
d2. Bill shorter than middle toe with claw; plumage
white. ... Bubulcus (p. 177)

a2. Rectrices ten; plumage more or less mottled or streaked, never white.

b1. Exposed culmen equal to or more than middle toe without claw;
size much smaller; wing less than 220 mm.

c1. Culmen more than tarsus. [17]

d1. Smaller; wing less than 160 mm. ... Ixobrychus (p. 178)
d2. Larger; wing more than 180 mm. ... Dupetor (p. 182)

c2. Culmen equal to or less than tarsus. ... Nannocnus (p. 180)

b2. Exposed culmen much less than middle toe without claw; size
much greater; wing more than 260 mm. ... Botaurus (p. 183)

Genus PYRRHERODIA Finsch and Hartlaub, 1870.

This genus of large herons is distinguished by having the claws very long; hind toe contains its claw one and two-thirds times; tarsus contains the hind toe with claw one and one-half times.

134. PYRRHERODIA MANILENSIS (Meyen).

EASTERN PURPLE HERON.

Ardea purpurea var. manilensis Meyen, Acta
Acad. Leop. Carol. (1834), 16, suppl. 102.
Phoyx manillensis Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1898), 26, 63,
pl. 1.
Ardea manillensis Blanford, Fauna Brit. India Bds. (1898), 4, 381.
Pyrrherodias manillensis Sharpe, Hand-List (1889), 1, 194; Oates,
Cat. Birds' Eggs (1902), 2, 111, McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List
(1906), 32.

La-pay, Ticao.

Bohol (McGregor); Calamianes (Bourns & Worcester); Catanduanes
(Whitehead); Leyte (Steere Exp.); Luzon (Meyen, Whitehead,
McGregor); Marinduque (Steere Exp.); Mindoro (Bourns & Worcester);
Negros (Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester, Whitehead); Palawan
(Bourns & Worcester); Panay (Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester);
Romblon (McGregor); Samar (Whitehead); Sibuyan (McGregor); Tablas
(Bourns & Worcester); Tawi Tawi (Bourns & Worcester); Ticao
(McGregor). Celebes, Indian and Malay Peninsulas, Ceylon, China,
Greater Sunda Islands.

Adult male.--"Forehead, crown, long occipital crest, a streak down back of neck, one on each side of neck, and another on each side from gape to nape slaty black; chin and throat white, rest of head and neck ferruginous red, paler and buff on sides of head and middle of fore neck; long feathers overhanging upper breast buffy white, streaked with black and chestnut; lower hind neck, back, rump, and upper tail-coverts, wings and tail slaty gray, back darker; quills and tail-feathers blackish; scapulars with long pointed rufous ends; middle of breast and abdomen and lower tail-coverts slaty black; sides of breast rich chestnut; flanks ashy gray; thigh-coverts cinnamon; wing-lining mostly ferruginous. Length, 965; tail, 19; wing, 368; tarsus 140; bill from gape, 152." (Blanford.)

"Upper mandible dark brown, the margins dusky yellow as far back as the nostrils, produced to the eye; margins from nostrils to gape dark brown; anterior half of lower mandible clear yellow; the posterior half dull yellow; gape and facial skin greenish yellow; edges of the eyelids yellow; feet and toes yellowish; the front of the tarsus and toes glossy brown; claws dark horn-color; iris yellow." (Oates.)

"Adult female.--Similar to the male, but not quite so bright, and the black crest plumes not quite so long.

"'Nestling.--Crown of head, quills, and tail lavender-brown; throat and chin pure white; sides of head and upper neck rufous; lower neck rufous-gray, the feathers on the sides being centered with brown; lower plumage rufescent, each feather more or less dark-centered; thighs plain rufous; upper plumage brown, each feather edged with rufescent, more especially on the scapulars and tertiaries; upper and lower wing-coverts bluish brown, each feather broadly edged with rufous.' (Oates.)" (Sharpe.)

"Young birds have neither crest nor lengthened plumes on scapulars or breast; upper parts brownish gray, with broad rufous edges to the feathers; crown partly gray; neck rufous, fore neck with black streaks; lower surface a mixture of buff and gray." (Blanford.)

This species is the commonest of the large herons and may easily be identified by means of the preceding excellent descriptions. In a fine-plumaged male from Anao, Tarlac Province, Luzon, the upper mandible was dusky; lower mandible yellow, greenish toward base; upper part of legs light yellowish green, lower parts brown. Length, 1,000; wing, 375; tail, 133; tarsus, 124; culmen from frontal feathers, 136; middle toe with claw, 135; hind toe with claw, 80.

Genus ARDEA Linnæus, 1758.

The herons of this typical genus are of large size and except in plumage differ little from the members of Pyrrherodia but the bill is comparatively heavier and the claws much shorter; tarsus two to two and one-half times the length of hind toe with claw.

Species.

a1. Crown and neck white (gray in young); crest black. ... cinerea (p. 163) a2. Crown, neck, and crest gray similar to the rest of the plumage. ... sumatrana (p. 165)

135. ARDEA CINEREA Linnæus.

COMMON HERON.

Ardea cinerea Linnæus, Syst. Nat. ed. 10 (1758), 1, 143; Sharpe,
Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1898), 26, 74; Hand-List (1899), 1, 194;
Blanford, Fauna Brit. Ind. Bds. (1898), 4, 382, fig. 84; Oates,
Cat. Birds' Eggs (1902), 2, 113; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List
(1906), 32.

Guimaras (Steere Exp.). Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia.

"Adult in breeding plumage.--General color above light ashy gray, scapular plumes, parapteral feathers, and innermost secondaries elongated and forming narrow drooping plumes of pearly gray or white; the wing-coverts gray like back, the outer ones pearly gray or white, the greater series dark ashy, outer webs entirely white; alula, primary-coverts, and quills purplish black, secondaries shaded with gray externally, inner secondaries like back; tail-feathers entirely gray; crown of head crested, white in the center, with a broad band of purplish black on each side, ending in a crest on occiput, and having two elongated nuchal plumes; entire sides of face, neck all round, and under surface of body white, with a creamy lilac shade on each side of fore neck and chest, which have drooping plumes of narrow, elongated, white feathers; the whole of the lower throat and fore neck varied with elongated black stripes, differing in breadth and situated on one side of the feather; on each side of the crop is a large patch of drooping plumes of purplish black, and continued along the sides of the body even as far as the vent; sides of body light ashy gray; thighs and under tail-coverts white; under wing-coverts ashy gray. 'Bill yellow, with the ridge of the upper mandible brown towards the end; feet dull green; tibia yellow; claws black; iris yellow; bare space between the bill and the eye green.' (Macgillivray.) Length, 762; culmen, 129; wing, 457; tail, 183; tarsus, 173.

"Adult female.--Similar to the male and equally beautifully colored, but the black crest-plumes not so long, and the black markings on the chest not quite so pronounced. Length, about 762; culmen, 124; wing, 452; tail, 170; tarsus, 162.

"Young.--Differs from the adult in being darker and not so pure gray; head dark slate-color, with a small nuchal crest of purplish black, neck rather lighter ashy; sides of face and ear-coverts also ashy gray; cheeks and throat white; neck dark slaty gray, as also the sides of the body, under wing-coverts, and axillars; lower throat, fore neck, and chest very broadly streaked with black, the black very thickly developed on throat, sparsely on fore neck, and represented by a few black streaks on sides of body; on each side of chest the black patch of the adult is represented by a dusky patch of feathers, relieved by several broad white streaks; on bend of wing a tinge of rust-color, which also pervades the black-streaked feathers of throat and fore neck." (Sharpe.)

"Rare. Not met with by us on our second visit to the Islands." (Bourns and Worcester MS.)

The common heron is rare in the Philippines but may be recognized by the pale gray head and neck, set off by the black crest, line on side of head, and broken line on throat. A very much damaged specimen in the Bureau of Science collection has unfortunately no data as to its source but it was probably killed in Luzon.

136. ARDEA SUMATRANA Raffles.

ASHY-GRAY HERON.

Ardea sumatrana Raffles, Trans. Linn. Soc. (1882), 13, 325; Sharpe,
Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1898), 26, 68; Hand-List (1899), 1, 194;
Oates, Cat. Birds' Eggs (1902), 2, 112; McGregor and Worcester,
Hand-List (1906), 32.

Bantayan (McGregor); Basilan (McGregor); Bohol (McGregor); Mindoro
(Porter); Negros (Keay); Palawan (Platen, Whitehead, Celestino,
White). Australia, Malay Peninsula, Sunda Islands, Celebes,
Aracan, Tenasserim.

"Adult male.--Above dull slaty gray, lower back and rump paler gray; upper tail-coverts more dusky; scapulars with elongated plumes, pearly white at the ends; wing-coverts and quills dark slaty gray, with a slight greenish gloss on some of them; innermost secondaries elongated and tipped with pearly white, like scapulars; tail-feathers dark slate-color, slightly glossed with green; crown of head slaty gray and crested, crest-feathers with dusky margins, and with some long drooping plumes on nape, which are pearly white at the ends; sides of face and hinder cheeks pale vinaceous-brown; fore part of cheeks and upper throat white; neck all round slaty brown, the feathers mostly elongated, and with a mesial streak of white towards the ends; plumes on the fore neck similarly colored, but very much elongated; remainder of under surface slaty gray, paler on abdomen with longitudinal white centers to the feathers, these being indistinct upon abdomen and under tail-coverts; on each side of upper breast a large patch of slaty gray feathers, very slightly streaked with white; under wing-coverts and axillars slaty gray with white streaks; marginal feathers round bend of wing white. 'Bill black, lower mandible yellowish white at base; legs and feet black, soles faded yellow; iris pale orange.' (H. O. Forbes.) Length, about 1,143; culmen, 173; wing, 465; tail, 155; tarsus, 170.

"Young.--Differs from the adult in having no elongated plumes, and being everywhere browner; feathers of the upper surface tipped with a rufous or sandy-buff spot; feathers of neck and under parts vinaceous-rufous with mesial streaks of white, the whole under surface very thickly streaked." (Sharpe.)

This is the very largest of Philippine herons and it may be known at once by its almost uniform slate-gray color. In a male from Bohol the iris was red; bill black, with some yellow on lower mandible; legs and nails blackish brown. Wing, 440; tail, 170; culmen from frontal feathers, 180; tarsus, 164; middle toe with claw, 126; hind toe with claw, 77.

Genus MESOPHOYX Sharpe, 1894.

Of medium size; plumage all white and with long dorsal plumes during the breeding season; primaries exceed the secondaries by length of hind toe with claw; legs and feet black; toes long, culmen much less than middle toe without claw.

137. MESOPHOYX INTERMEDIA (Wagler).

LESSER EGRET.

Ardea intermedia Wagler, Isis (1829), 659.
Mesophoyx intermedia Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1898), 26,
85; Hand-List (1899), 1, 195; Oates, Cat. Birds' Eggs (1902), 2,
115; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 32.

Bohol (Steere Exp.); Calayan (McGregor); Mindanao (Everett);
Mindoro (Bourns & Worcester); Palawan (Whitehead); Samar (Steere
Exp.). Indian Peninsula, Malayan Archipelago, China, Japan.

"Adult male in breeding plumage.--Pure white above and below; the head crested, but having no drooping plumes; long ornamental plumes of back immensely developed, being 430 mm. in length; feathers on the fore neck beautifully developed, 200 mm. long, the webs entirely broken up; bare part of tibia entirely black like the tarsi and toes. 'Bill black, facial skin green; iris yellow; feet and toes black.' (Oates.) Length, about 208; culmen, 74; wing, 317; tail, 137; tarsus, 114; middle toe with claw, 99.

"Adult female.--Similar to the male, but the ornamental plumes not so much developed.

"Adults in winter plumage.--Pure white, but losing the ornamental plumes altogether. 'Bill yellow, with blackish tip.' (Oates.)

"Young.--Entirely like the adults in winter plumage; the texture of the plumage soft and downy, and devoid of ornamental plumes." (Sharpe.)

"Comparatively rare and very shy. Fairly abundant about the Laguna de Naujan in Mindoro." (Bourns and Worcester MS.)

Genus HERODIAS Boie, 1822.

Of very large size and plumage entirely pure white.

138. HERODIAS TIMORIENSIS (Lesson).

TIMOR WHITE EGRET.

Ardea timoriensis Lesson, Traité d'Orn. (1831), 575.
Herodias timoriensis Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1898), 26, 98;
Hand-List (1899), 1, 195; Mearns, Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash. (1905),
18, 89; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 33.

Luzon (McGregor); Mindanao (Mearns). Northern China and Japan
to Australia.

Adult male in breeding plumage.--"Entirely pure white; a bunch of elongated plumes on the back scarcely reaching beyond the tail. 'Bill beautiful orange; naked space before and behind the eye fine greenish yellow; legs above the knee pale dull yellow, this color continued down the center of the inner part of the tarsi; remainder of tarsi and feet black.' (Gould.) Length, 762; culmen, 112; wing, 381; tail, 160; tarsus, 132 to 162." (Sharpe.)

The following data are from the Luzon specimen which I have recorded: Killed on the Laguna de Bay, Luzon, March 16, 1906. Sexed by the taxidermist as a male. Entire legs and feet black; bill yellow. Dorsal plumes reaching little beyond base of tail, the bird being in rather poor plumage. Tarsus, 159; bill from gape, 140; culmen from frontal feathers, 114. This species is the largest as well as the rarest of the pure white herons known from the Philippine Islands.

Genus EGRETTA Forster, 1817.

This genus appears to be closely related to Mesophoyx but the bill is longer and more slender; toes and claws shorter; culmen longer than middle toe with claw, primaries and secondaries about equal in length.

139. EGRETTA GARZETTA (Linnæus).

LITTLE WHITE EGRET.

Ardea garzetta Linnæus, Syst. Nat. ed. 12 (1766), 1, 237.
Garzetta garzetta Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1898), 26, 118;
Hand-List (1899), 1, 197; Oates, Cat. Birds' Eggs (1902), 2, 120.
Herodias garzetta Blanford, Fauna Brit. Ind. Bds. (1898), 4, 387,
fig. 91.
Egretta garzetta McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 33.

Ta-ling-daó, Cagayancillo.

Basilan (McGregor); Bohol (Everett, McGregor); Cagayancillo
(McGregor); Cebu (McGregor); Leyte (Everett); Lubang (McGregor);
Luzon (Jagor, Everett, Heriot, Bourns & Worcester, McGregor);
Mindanao (Steere Exp., Goodfellow); Mindoro (Porter);
Negros (Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester, Keay); Panay
(Bourns & Worcester); Romblon (McGregor); Siquijor (Bourns &
Worcester). Africa, southern Europe to central Asia, China, Japan,
Indian Peninsula, Malay Peninsula and Archipelago.

"Adult male in breeding plumage.--Everywhere snowy white, with two elongated plumes depending from nape; dorsal plumes enormously elongated into a beautiful tuft of feathers, which reach a little beyond the tail and are recurved at the ends; on the fore neck some elongated narrow plumes. 'Bill black; bare skin about the eye and base of bill, whitish fulvescent; tarsi and shanks black, feet greenish yellow, joints of toes spotted with black on the upper surface; iris pale ashy yellow, with an outer circle of brownish red.' (T. Ayres.) Length, about 508; culmen, 84; wing, 267; tail, 70; tarsus, 94.

"Adult female.--Similar to the male, but the ornamental plumes not quite so much developed. Length, 571; culmen, 88; wing, 287; tail, 99; tarsus, 95; middle toe with claw, 93.

"Adult in winter plumage.--Differs from that of the summer plumage in the want of all the ornamental plumes.

"Young.--Resembling the winter plumage of the adult." (Sharpe.)

The lesser and little white egrets are birds of wide distribution, usually found singly along sandy shores or in the vicinity of mangrove swamps.

Genus DEMIGRETTA Blyth, 1846.

In size of body and proportional size of bill, legs, and feet this genus is very similar to Egretta but the legs are feathered nearer to the heel and the plumage is normally slate-blue.

140. DEMIGRETTA SACRA (Gmelin).

BLUE REEF HERON.

Ardea sacra Gmelin, Syst. Nat. (1788), 1, pt. 2, 640.
Demiegretta sacra Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1898), 26, 137;
Hand-List (1899), 1, 198; Oates, Cat. Birds' Eggs (1902), 2, 122;
McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 33.
Lepterodius sacer Blanford, Fauna Brit. Ind. Bds. (1898), 4, 391,
fig. 93.

Ta-lá-bon, Ticao.

Balabac (Steere Exp., Everett); Bantayan (McGregor); Batan
(McGregor); Bohol (Steere Exp., McGregor); Bongao (Everett);
Cagayancillo (McGregor); Cagayan Sulu (Guillemard); Calayan
(McGregor); Cebu (Murray, McGregor); Cuyo (McGregor); Fuga
(McGregor); Lubang (McGregor); Luzon (Bourns & Worcester,
Whitehead); Marinduque (Steere Exp.); Masbate (Bourns & Worcester);
Mindanao (Bourns & Worcester, Mearns); Mindoro (Bourns &
Worcester, McGregor); Negros (Bourns & Worcester, Keay); Panay
(Bourns & Worcester); Pata (Mearns); Romblon (Bourns & Worcester,
McGregor); Semirara (Worcester); Sibuyan (Bourns & Worcester,
McGregor); Siquijor (Bourns & Worcester); Sulu (Guillemard);
Tablas (Bourns & Worcester); Tawi Tawi (Bourns & Worcester);
Ticao (McGregor). Coast of Bay of Bengal to Australia and Oceania,
north to Japan and Korea.

"Adult male in breeding plumage.--General color deep blackish slate; head almost black; feathers of upper breast elongated like those of the middle of the back, some of the latter decomposed; the elongated feathers of a paler slaty gray, and those of back reaching to end of tail; head crested and of the same color as the back; abdomen and vent-feathers tinged with ashy; a pure white streak down the center of the throat. Length, 584; culmen, 71; wing, 254; tail, 79; tarsus, 74.

"Adult female in breeding plumage.--Similar to the male, but the ornamental plumes slightly less developed. Length, 533; wing, 259.

"Young.--Paler and more sooty brown than the adults, and bleaching often to a slight earthy brown. No ornamental plumes on head, back, and chest.

"Adult birds, either in winter plumage or perhaps in the second year, are blacker than in the summer plumage. Some of these black-plumage birds have ornamental feathers which looks as if they were fully adult, and therefore they may be birds of the second year, as it is quite evident that the grayer plumaged ones are very old and perfect in livery.

"The white streak down the throat is often absent or reduced to a few spots. It appears to be absent equally in quite young birds and in old ones also, and it may be the result of inherent melanism in the species.

"The white form is exactly similar in size to the gray form, and, when adult, has the same ornamental plumes. In the Pacific islands the two forms appear to interbreed, and produce white young ones mottled or streaked with slaty gray. I have been unable to recognize any of the many forms into which the reef heron has been subdivided by naturalists. Some birds are larger, as will be seen by the measurements of the tarsi given in detail below, and these larger birds have a slightly longer wing and a heavier bill, but no specific distinctions can be founded on these variations, which are very slight." (Sharpe.)

"The color of the soft parts is excessively variable. In the adult the bare portion of the tibia varies from dark grass-green to greenish plumbeous; the back and sides of the tarsus and the greater part of the toes are generally pea-green, sometimes duller, sometimes yellower; the front of the tarsus and the first joint of the mid toe black, but sometimes these parts are green, only patched or mottled with black, and sometimes the black extends along the ridges of all the toes; the color of the bill and bare skin in front of the eye varies from sienna-brown to chocolate; sometimes the bill is a sort of light mahogany color, and the bare skin a sort of greenish brown; usually the bills are yellowish at the tips; the lower mandible is generally lighter, sometimes brownish horny, sometimes yellowish horny; and in the breeding-plumage the whole lower mandible becomes apparently a very decided, though dull, yellow; the irides vary from bright to deep yellow. I suspect, though we have not been able to work it out, that these differences in color are due both to age and to season." (Hume.)

"Quite common along the reefs. The young were met with on various occasions far inland along fresh-water streams, but we never found fully mature birds in such localities." (Bourns and Worcester MS.)

So far as observed, this species is solitary and found only on rocky shores, usually where coral flats are exposed at low tide.

Genus NYCTICORAX Forster, 1817.

Bill stout; legs rather short; tarsus about equal to middle toe with claw and little longer than exposed culmen; tarsus covered with hexagonal scales; head decorated with two or three long, slender, nuchal plumes and a full crest.

Species.

a1. Wings ashy gray; back blackish glossed with green. ... nycticorax (p. 170) a2. Wings maroon, nearly uniform with the back. ... manillensis (p. 171)

141. NYCTICORAX NYCTICORAX (Linnæus).

Common Night Heron.

Ardea nycticorax Linnæus, Syst. Nat. ed. 10 (1758), 1, 142.
Nycticorax nycticorax Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1898), 26,
146; Hand-List (1899), 1, 198; Oates, Cat. Birds' Eggs (1902),
2, 123; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 33.
Nycticorax griseus Blanford, Fauna Brit. Ind. Bds. (1898), 4,
397, fig. 96.

Calayan (McGregor); Luzon (Meyen, Steere Exp., McGregor); Mindanao
(Everett). Africa, central and southern Europe to Indian Peninsula,
Malay Peninsula, China and Japan; Greater Sunda Islands to Celebes.

"Adult male in breeding plumage.--Black above, glossed with dark green, and with a slight shade of slaty gray on the mantle; upper scapulars like the back, lower ones light ashy gray; wings entirely light ashy gray or dove-color, with a slight shade of dull oily green on secondaries; lower back, rump, upper tail-coverts, and tail clear gray or dove-color; head crested, black, and with a dark green gloss, and having two long white nuchal plumes; base of forehead white, extending above eye to behind the latter; feathers below the eye, cheeks, throat, and under parts pure white; ear-coverts and sides of neck delicate isabelline gray, extending in a collar round hind neck, and to sides of body; thighs and under tail-coverts white; under wing-coverts and axillars very pale ashy. Length, about 457; culmen, 76; wing, 267; tail, 102; tarsus, 71.

"Adult female in breeding plumage.--Similar to the male in color and having the same long white plumes on the nape. Upper mandible slaty black with a whitish streak near the edges, central portion of lower mandible flesh-color, greenish towards base; skin round the eye pale green; tarsi and feet pale yellow; iris crimson." (T. Ayres.)

"Adults in winter plumage.--Similar to the breeding plumage, but much greener on head and back, and not having the drooping white plumes on the nape.

"Young.--Brown above, varied with longitudinal triangular centers of rufous or buff to the feathers of back and wing-coverts; quills and tail-feathers tipped with white; head blackish, crest-feathers centered with rufous; sides of face and under surface of body fulvescent, streaked with dusky black, with which the feathers are margined; thighs, under wing-coverts, and axillars streaked like the sides of body; throat whitish.

"The full-grown young bird is similarly marked to the nestling described, but all the streaks and spots are much paler, the throat and under surface of the body being white, with a few dusky streaks. Judging from a specimen in the Tweeddale Collection from Canton, the adult plumage is assumed during the next breeding season, and even the white nape-plumes are put on, but the coloring of the head and back is not so bright as in older birds." (Sharpe.)

The common night heron in abundant in parts of Luzon but is not so widely distributed in the smaller islands as is the next species.

142. NYCTICORAX MANILLENSIS Vigors.

PHILIPPINE NIGHT HERON.

Nycticorax manillensis Vigors, Proc. Zool. Soc. (1831), 98; Sharpe,
Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1898), 26, 162; Hand-List (1899), 1, 198;
McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 34.
Nycticorax manilensis Oates, Cat. Birds' Eggs (1902), 2, 125.

Cuak-cuak, Bohol.

Bantayan (McGregor); Basilan (Everett); Bohol (McGregor); Caluya
(Porter); Camiguin N. (McGregor); Catanduanes (Whitehead); Cebu
(Everett, Bourns & Worcester, McGregor); Leyte (Everett); Luzon
(Lindsay, Cuming, Whitehead); Marinduque (Steere Exp.); Masbate
(Bourns & Worcester); Mindanao (Platen, Steere Exp.); Mindoro
(McGregor); Negros (Everett, Bourns & Worcester, Keay); Panay
(Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester); Samar (Bourns & Worcester);
Sibuyan (Bourns & Worcester); Siquijor (Steere Exp., Bourns
& Worcester, Celestino); Tablas (Bourns & Worcester); Ticao
(McGregor). Western Celebes and northern Borneo.

Adult (sexes similar).--Above deep maroon; crown and crest greenish black; long nuchal plumes whitish except at base and tip; a narrow eyebrow stripe light chestnut mixed with whitish; below white, throat more or less pervaded with chestnut; sides of face neck and breast chestnut; under wing-coverts, axillars, and thighs light chestnut mixed with white. Bill black; skin around eye dark green; legs yellow, nails black. "Bill black; feet pale ocherous-white, brown in front and upper part of toes; orbital skin yellowish green; iris golden yellow." (Everett.)

Male.--Length, 635; culmen, 70; wing, 317; tail, 117; tarsus, 79.

Adult female.--Similar to the male in color. Length, 559; culmen, 76; wing, 381; tail, 123; tarsus, 81.

"Young.--Wings conspicuously chestnut; spots and streaks on upper surface deep rufous or light chestnut; breast very broadly streaked with black. 'Bill brown, lower mandible dirty yellowish; legs light greenish yellow, claws gray; iris golden yellow.' (Everett)." (Sharpe.)

"Quite common, but very local in its habits. Feeds at night. Roosts during the day in lofty trees, frequently choosing trees which stand out in the open." (Bourns and Worcester MS.)

Oates records two eggs of the Manila night heron which were collected by the Steere Expedition in Siquijor, February 15, and two eggs taken by Moseley in May. The measurements are respectively: 56.3 by 36.8; 49.7 by 36.3; 60.9 by 37.5; 50.8 by 33.7.

Genus GORSACHIUS Bonaparte, 1855.

This genus resembles Nycticorax in having a short stout bill, deep nasal groove, and stout legs and toes; it differs in having the elongated crest feathers shorter and wider and in the coloration of the plumage. The tarsus is covered with hexagonal scales but those in front are very wide and appear as transverse plates.

Species.

a1. Head black; axillars barred with black and white; primaries with whitish tips. ... melanolophus (p. 172) a2. Head chestnut; axillars rufous, barred with black; primaries rufous at tip, the white tips obsolete ... goisagi (p. 174)

143. GORSACHIUS MELANOLOPHUS (Raffles).

MALAY BITTERN.

Ardea melanolopha Raffles, Trans. Linn. Soc. (1822), 13, pt. 2,
326.
Gorsachius melanolophus Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1898),
26, 166; Hand-List (1899), 1, 199; Blanford, Fauna
Brit. Ind. Bds. (1898), 4, 398, fig. 97; Oates, Cat. Birds' Eggs
(1902), 2, 125; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 34.

Balabac (Everett); Basilan (Mearns); Cebu (Bourns & Worcester);
Guimaras (Steere Exp.); Luzon (Heriot); Masbate (Bourns &
Worcester); Mindanao (Steere, Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester);
Palawan (Platen, Whitehead, White); Samar (Whitehead); Siquijor
(Bourns & Worcester); Ticao (McGregor). Ceylon, southern India,
Assam to Hainan, Greater Sunda Islands, Formosa south to Malay
Peninsula.

"Adult male.--Above uniform cinnamon-rufous, wing-coverts and mantle with a slight ashy shade and with a certain amount of indistinct freckling; alula-feathers black or slightly mottled with rufous and having broad white tips; outer primary-coverts black, broadly tipped with white and rufous at the base; remainder of primary-coverts cinnamon-rufous slightly tipped with white; quills black, externally shaded with gray, broadly tipped with cinnamon-rufous, narrowly fringed with white at the ends; outer primaries with a large white terminal spot; inner secondaries like back; upper tail-coverts and tail dark slate-color, with a slight rufescent tinge at the ends of inner web; crown and long nuchal crest-feathers slaty gray or black; a narrow line of feathers over eye vinous-cinnamon, broadening out above ear-coverts and occupying the sides of crown, sides of neck, and sides of face; chin and center of throat pale isabelline brown, streaked with black down the center of throat, the black markings on the feathers being lateral and somewhat irregular in shape, the inner webs paler and cream-colored, imparting a rather broadly streaked appearance to the fore neck; center of breast and abdomen white or creamy buff, the feathers notched and barred with dusky, more distinct on the sides; abdomen fulvescent and under tail-coverts white, both of them scarcely spotted at all; under wing-coverts white, regularly spotted and barred with dusky; axillars regularly banded with black and white; quills ashy gray below, with the same rufous and white tips as on the upper surface. Culmen black, sides of the upper mandible and the lower one fleshy; legs and feet greenish, washed with brown on the front of the tarsus and toes. 'Iris golden yellow, frosted or stippled with olive at the exterior; gape, orbital and loral skin greenish and slaty.' (W. V. Legge.) Length, 508; culmen, 51; wing, 269; tail, 102; tarsus, 68.

"Adult female.--Similar to the male.

"The sequence of plumages in these night herons is not very easy to follow, but the nestling from Mindanao clearly proves that the first plumage is spotted with white and that the quills have broad white tips. Both G. melanolophus and G. goisagi occur on Mindanao, but the latter is doubtless only a winter visitor, while the former bird is resident. The same thing occurs in the Island of Formosa, as has been duly pointed out by Mr. Seebohm, in his 'Birds of the Japanese Empire,' where the difference between the two species has been correctly given.

"In the Hume collection there are several rufous-colored birds, which have not yet entirely divested themselves of the wavy immature plumage, while a female from Dibrughur is beginning to put on rufous plumage, though it is still for the most part in the mottled dress of the young. The birds from the Nicobars are decidedly smaller and darker than birds from the mainland, and the wing does not exceed 240 mm.

"Young.--Entirely different from the adult, being brown above, thickly mottled and freckled with dusky blackish, and with longitudinal ochraceous shaft-streaks to the feathers of upper surface; wings like the back; primary-coverts for the most part rufous, freckled with dusky, quills black, tipped with white; primaries with a subterminal shade of rufous; tail-feathers slaty black; crown and nape crested, the feathers black, with arrow-shaped spots or bars of white; sides of face and sides of neck regularly barred with ocherous brown and black, with mesial white spots on the feathers on the sides of the neck; chin and upper throat uniform white; the center of the lower throat and fore neck generally pale vinaceous-buff, varied with black streaks and black mottling or bars, the feathers being browner laterally; sides of the body like the breast, similarly mottled and streaked with white; under tail-coverts white, with scarcely any black markings; under wing-coverts white mottled with dusky; axillars barred with black and white." (Sharpe.)

"Comparatively rare. Met with about the fish-pens of the natives, especially just at dusk." (Bourns and Worcester MS.)

"The eggs of the Malay bittern in the collection are of a pale bluish-white color. Two specimens measure respectively: 45.7 by 35.5; 48.2 by 35.5." (Oates.)

The above-described eggs were collected in Palawan, June 27, by Whitehead.

144. GORSACHIUS GOISAGI (Temminck).

JAPANESE BITTERN.

Nycticorax goisagi Temminck, Pl. Col. (1836), pl. 582.
Gorsachius goisagi Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1898), 26,
169; Hand-List (1899), 1, 199; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List
(1906), 34.

Luzon (Heriot); Mindanao (Steere Exp.). Japan and Formosa.

"Adult.--Differs from G. melanolophus in its deep vinous-chestnut head, which has a little shade of blackish on the forehead only; the mantle is browner, and the upper surface generally never seems to be free from dusky vermiculations; axillars black and rufous instead of black and white, and no white tips to the outer primaries. Length, 457; culmen, 39; wing, 259; tail, 94; tarsus, 63.

"Young.--Differs from the adult in being browner and more uniform on upper mantle and back, but with the wings much freckled with rufous-buff; crown dusky blackish, inclining to dark vinous on the neck. The young bird differs from the young of G. melanolophus by the rufous tips to the primaries.

"The description of the young bird is taken from a bird procured by Mr. Ringer at Nagasaki, which still retains some of the nestling down on the head. Full-grown birds, exactly similar in plumage, are in the collection from Luzon and Ayala in Mindanao. 'Bill green, culmen black; legs and feet green; iris yellow.' (Moseley.)" (Sharpe.)

Genus BUTORIDES Blyth, 1849.

Size small, plumage dark; bill long and slender, much longer than tarsus, the latter about equal to middle toe with claw; wing pointed, primaries exceeding secondaries by about two-thirds of tarsus.

Species.

a1. Throat and cheek-stripes white and distinct; abdomen white.

b1. Smaller; wing about 178 mm. ... javanica (p. 174)
b2. Larger; wing about 200 mm. ... amurensis (p. 176)

a2. Throat and cheek-stripe ashy or brown not distinctly indicated; abdomen rusty. ... spodiogaster (p. 176)

145. BUTORIDES JAVANICA (Horsfield).

JAVAN GREEN HERON.

Ardea javanica Horsfield, Trans. Linn. Soc. (1821), 13, pt. 1, 190.
Butorides javanica Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1898), 26, 177;
Hand-List (1899), 1, 199; Blanford, Fauna Brit. Ind. Bds. (1898),
4, 395, fig. 95 (head); McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List
(1906), 34.

Ba-caú i-tim', Manila.

Bongao (Everett); Cagayancillo (McGregor); Calamianes (Bourns &
Worcester); Cebu (Everett, Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester); Cuyo
(McGregor); Dinagat (Everett); Guimaras (Steere Exp.); Leyte
(Everett); Lubang (McGregor); Luzon (Jagor, Everett, Bourns &
Worcester, Whitehead, McGregor); Marinduque (Steere Exp.);
Masbate (Bourns & Worcester); Mindanao (Everett, Steere Exp.,
Bourns & Worcester, Goodfellow, Celestino); Mindoro (Bourns &
Worcester, Everett, McGregor); Negros (Layard, Steere, Bourns &
Worcester, Keay); Nipa (Everett); Palawan (Platen, Whitehead,
Bourns & Worcester); Panay (Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester);
Romblon (McGregor); Samar (Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester);
Semirara (Worcester); Sibuyan (Bourns & Worcester, McGregor);
Siquijor (Bourns & Worcester); Sulu (Guillemard); Tablas
(Bourns & Worcester); Tawi Tawi (Bourns & Worcester); Ticao
(McGregor). Southern China, Malay and Indian Peninsulas, Celebes,
Ceylon, Mascarene and Greater Sunda Islands.

"Adult male.--Above light slaty gray, feathers of back with hoary, white shaft-lines; long scapular-feathers green, or green with gray tips; wing-coverts and quills dark green with ocherous-buff margins, inclining to white on the edges of the greater-coverts and secondaries, most of the quills being fringed with white at the ends; lower back, rump, and upper tail-coverts dull green, more or less powdered with gray; tail dull green; crown dark glossy green, with the nape feathers produced into a point; hind neck and sides of neck gray, extending over the sides of face and ear-coverts; below the eye a streak of greenish black extending along the ear-coverts, along the upper part of which runs a whitish streak from behind the eye to the level of the nape; another streak of white from the base of the lower mandible along the cheeks; throat, fore neck, and abdomen white; sides of body and flanks, including the overhanging feathers on the sides of the upper breast, slaty gray like the sides of the neck, leaving the center of throat and fore neck white, slightly varied with dingy brown markings, these markings being on the edges of the throat-feathers; axillars and under wing-coverts gray, like the quill-lining. 'Upper mandible black, with a longitudinal yellow streak along the margin below the nostrils; grape greenish brown; lower mandible greenish yellow, more or less black along the edges; facial skin green; legs and toes green, front of tarsus and toes dusky, soles orange, and claws horn-color; iris yellow.' (Oates.) Length, 483; culmen, 70; wing, 178; tail, 63; tarsus, 51; middle toe with claw, 53.

"Adult female.--Exactly like the male, but a trifle more dingy, especially in the throat markings, where the brown is a little more distinct on the margins of the feathers. Length, 457; culmen, 61; wing, 173; tail, 70; tarsus, 46; middle toe with claw, 51.

"Winter plumage.--Duller than in summer and much greener above, without any gray shading; the head green.

"Young.--Brown above; the wing-coverts with triangular whitish or sandy-buff spots at their ends; head black, streaked with ocherous-buff shaft-lines; sides of face and under surface of body whitish, strongly streaked with dusky-blackish margins to the feathers.

"The young bird is browner than the adults, with white mesial streaks on the wing-coverts; crown of head dusky black; under surface of body less gray and washed with brown." (Sharpe.)

"Extremely common. Found both along the seashore and about fresh-water streams and lakes." (Bourns and Worcester MS.)

146. BUTORIDES AMURENSIS (Schrenck).

AMUR GREEN HERON.

Ardea virescens var. amurensis Schrenck, Reis. Amurl. (1860),
1, 437.
Butorides amurensis Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1898), 26,
181; Hand-List (1899), 1, 200; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List
(1906), 34.

Calayan (McGregor); Cebu (Everett, McGregor); Luzon (Whitehead);
Palawan (Everett); Samar (Steere). Greater Sunda Islands, China,
Japan, Celebes, Amurland.

Although in color this species seems to be exactly like B. javanica it is much larger; the length of wing is particularly noticeable and the bill is longer, and deeper. A male collected by Major Mearns measures: Wing, 210; tail, 73; culmen from frontal feathers, 66; depth of bill at posterior border of nostril, 15; tarsus, 54; middle toe with claw, 62.

A female from Calayan measures: Wing, 197; tail, 69; culmen from frontal feathers, 64; depth of bill at posterior border of nostril, 13; tarsus, 52; middle toe with claw, 54.

Some of the records for B. javanica probably refer to the present species but it is impossible to disentangle them.

147. BUTORIDES SPODIOGASTER Sharpe.

NICOBAR GREEN HERON.

Butorides spodiogaster Sharpe, Bull. Brit. Orn. Club (1894),
3, 17; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1898), 26, 182, pl. 2; Hand-List
(1899), 1, 200; Mearns, Phil. Jour. Sci. (1907), 2, sec. A, 353.

Palawan (Mearns). Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

"Adult.--Similar to B. javanica, but darker gray on the under surface, which is of a sooty-slate color with a slight tinge of rusty on the abdomen, cheeks and ear-coverts uniform slate-color. It much resembles B. stagnatilis, especially the birds from Flores, but it is not so dingy underneath and has a less shade of rusty on the abdomen. 'Bill black, lower portion of lower mandible, from base to tip, edged pale horny; front of tarsus, toes, and claws brownish green, bare portion of tibia and back of tarsus dirty greenish yellow; naked skin round eye dull green, tinged with yellow in front; eyelids deep green.' (Hume.) Length, 445; culmen, 60; wing, 193; tail, 53; tarsus, 43." (Sharpe.)

This species differs from both B. javanica and amurensis in its much darker color, particularly of the under parts which are nearly uniform slate-gray; the white of chin and throat is much restricted and on the fore breast is reduced to a few shaft-lines; all of the wing-coverts are edged with dull rusty buff. The specimen collected by Mearns near Palawan measures: Wing, 165; tail, 58; culmen from frontal feathers, 60; tarsus, 47; middle toe with claw, 50.

Genus BUBULCUS Bonaparte, 1854.

Non-breeding plumage all white; legs and nails black; primaries and secondaries about equal in length; exposed culmen less than middle toe with claw, the latter less than tarsus.

148. BUBULCUS COROMANDUS (Boddaert).

INDIAN CATTLE EGRET.

Cancroma coromanda Boddaert, Tabl. Pl. Eul. (1783), 54.
Bubulcus coromandus Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1898), 26,
217; Hand-List (1899), 1, 202; Oates, Cat. Birds' Eggs (1902),
2, 130, pl. 5, fig. 2; Blanford, Fauna Brit. Ind. Bds. (1898),
4, 389, fig. 92 (head); McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906),
35; McGregor, Phil. Jour. Sci. (1907), 2, sec. A, 322.

Ta-gac' cal-a-bau, Manila; la-guac', Calayan; tá-bon, Bohol.

Balabac (Steere Exp., Everett); Basilan (McGregor); Batan
(McGregor); Bohol (Everett, McGregor); Bongao (Everett); Calayan
(McGregor); Catanduanes (Whitehead); Cebu (Steere Exp., Bourns &
Worcester, McGregor); Cuyo (McGregor); Guimaras (Steere Exp.);
Lubang (McGregor); Luzon (Jagor, Bourns & Worcester, McGregor);
Masbate (Bourns & Worcester); Mindanao (Steere Exp., Goodfellow);
Mindoro (McGregor); Negros (Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester);
Palawan (Steere, Everett, Whitehead, Platen, Steere Exp., Bourns
& Worcester, White); Panay (Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester);
Siquijor (Celestino); Sulu (Platen); Tablas (Bourns & Worcester);
Ticao (McGregor). Eastern Siberia, Korea, China, Indian Peninsula,
Ceylon; Indo-Chinese countries to Celebes and Moluccas.

Adult in breeding plumage.--White; head, neck, and fore breast golden buff; long decomposed dorsal plumes delicate vinaceous-pink, washed with brown; ends of the plumes on fore breast also vinaceous-pink. Iris light lemon-yellow; bill and bare skin around eye chrome-yellow; legs and nails black. A male from Mariveles, Luzon, measures: Length, 540; wing, 265; tail, 98; exposed culmen, 63; tarsus, 95; middle toe with claw, 89.

Young.--Pure white, without any ornamental plumes but with an orange tinge on the crown.

Winter plumage.--Pure white, without any ornamental plumes.

This bird is often seen in large flocks and individuals alight fearlessly on the backs of cattle; they often feed in plowed fields. Several hundreds of cattle egrets nested in a patch of giant grass near Guindulman, Bohol. Eggs obtained in June vary in length from 40 to 50 mm. and in width from 30 to 35. They are pale blue in color.

Genus IXOBRYCHUS Billberg, 1828. [18]

Small, wing 150 mm. or less; bill slender and sharp, plumage reddish brown, cinnamon-rufous, and white with some mixture of black.

Species.

a1. Primaries black or blackish brown. ... sinensis (p. 178) a2. Primaries cinnamon-rufous like back. ... cinnamomeus (p. 179)

149. IXOBRYCHUS SINENSIS (Gmelin).

LITTLE YELLOW BITTERN.

Ardea sinensis Gmelin, Syst. Nat. (1788), 1, pt. 2, 642.
Ardetta sinensis Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1898), 26, 227;
Hand-List (1899), 1, 202; Oates, Cat. Birds' Eggs (1902), 2, 131;
McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 35.

Ba-caú bing-ey, Manila; rat, Calayan.

Calayan (McGregor); Luzon (Heriot, Whitehead, McGregor);
Mindanao (Mearns, Goodfellow); Mindoro (Bourns & Worcester); Sulu
(Guillemard); Tablas (Bourns & Worcester). Japan, China, Korea,
Indo-Chinese countries; Indian Peninsula; Malay Peninsula and
islands to Australia in winter.