958 



NESTS AND EGGS OF AUSTRALIAN BIRDS. 



Ohxervations. — Dr. Sharpe considers this other variety of Pied Egret 

 a good species. He states : " Tliis is the species evidently referred to 

 by Gould in his ' Handbook ' as the young of N . picata, when he says : 

 ' The young birds differ in having the whole of the under siu^ace white.' 

 Neither of the specimens in the Musciun (British) appear to be immature, 

 as they have full crests of white plumes, and fiuiiher, we know that the 

 young of N. 2)icata is different." 



711. — Garzetta nigripes, Temminck. — (551) 

 Herodias melaiiopiif:, Wagler. 



LESSEE EGRET. 



I'igure. — Gould : Birds of Australia, fol., vol. vi., pi. 58. 

 Reference. — Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., vol. xxvi., p. 122. 



Gt'ographical Disfri-hiifion. — Australia in general ; also New Guinea, 

 Moluccas and Java. 



Ne.^f. — A platfoi-m of sticks (about 12 inches in diameter) in a eu- 

 calypt or other tree at the edge of a swamp or lagoon. Usually 

 in colonics. 



Egffs. — Clutch, three to four; short ellipse in shape; texture of shell 

 somewhat coarse ; surface slightly glossy and minutely pitted ; coloui", 

 light or pale bluish-green. Dimensions of a set taken near the Nichol- 

 son Eiver, North Queensland. 25th April, 1898: (1) 1-89 x 1-34, (2) 

 1-8 X 1-57, (3) 1-75 X 1-29. (Mr. S. W. Jackson's collection.) 



Ohservations. — The Lesser or Spotless Egret is the smallest of the 

 Australian White " Cranes." According to Gould, both sexes are 

 adorned with long, flowing plumes dimng breeding season ; but the birds 

 may be distinguished from the other Egrets by their dark-coloured bills. 



There appears to be genuine doubt whether or not the Little Egret 

 (G. garzetta ) is really an Australian bird. Gould's identification was 

 from a lithogi'apli of a bird killed in the neighbourhood of Brisbane. 

 The bird was probably the Lesser Egret. 



