Vol. XXVI, pp. 93-94 May 3, 1913 



PROCEEDINGS 



OF THK 



BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON 



THE GREEN HERON OF THE MALDIVES. 

 BY OUTRAM BANGS. 



& * Vj 



Dr. Henry B. Bigelow, while with Mr. Agassiz on his expedi- 

 tion to the Maldives in 1901-1902, collected for the Museum a 

 number of birds, among them one adult female Green Heron. 

 This differs so much from any known species of Butorides that 

 at first I hesitated to describe it, fearing it might be a " freak." 



The species, however, is known to be resident and to breed 

 in the Maldives and is said by Gadow and Gardiner,* who refer 

 it to Bviorides javanicns, to occur in all the islands. Judging 

 from the text, I infer that no specimens were secured by Gardi- 

 ner, as no mention is made of any skin having been brought 

 home. 



On account of its very pallid coloring, the Green Heron of 

 the Maldives may be known as — 



Butorides albidulus sp. now 



Type from Suvadiva Atoll, southern Maldives, adult $ , No. 39356, 

 M. C. Z. Collected January 2, 1002, by Dr. Henry B. Bigelow. 



Characters. — Size of B . javaniczis (Horsf. ) ; bill slightly heavier; colors 

 all extremely pale, the crown with its occipital plumes, alone of the upper 

 parts, dark metallic green; rump, upper tail coverts and tail grey, each 

 rectrix deeply bordered all round with white; lower surface very pale 

 grey; under tail coverts and lengthened neck plume, white; wing feathers 

 very broadly edged with white, becoming pale huffy on lesser and middle 

 coverts. 



Color. — Crown and lengthened occipital plumes dark green; an ill-de- 

 fined superciliary stripe, throat and fore neck, including lengthened 

 plumes, that fall over chest, white, in places slightly washed but not 

 regularly marked with huffy; sides of neck and body below pale silvery 

 grey; cheeks grey washed with huffy; middle of belly and under tail 



•Gardiner, Maldive and Laccadive Archipelagoes; Aves, p. 369, 1903. 



23— Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash., Vol. XXVI, 1913. (93) 



