290 



REVIEW OF JAPANESE BIRDS. 



example the rump and upper tail-coverts are almost uuiform with tbe 

 back, the latter being slightly more dusky, while in the other two the 

 rump is nearly drab-gray and the upper lail-coverts blackish slate ; in 

 these latter birds the top of the hea^l from the bill and the upper nape 

 is solid slate black, while the Japan bird has the feathers of the fore- 

 head and fore part of crown broadly edged with cinnamon-rufous. 



The ditferences pointed out above do not seem to be due to age, for 

 the Ja])anese specimen has certainly passed the young stage, and has 

 every appearance of being an old bird. Inasmuch as the different 

 plumages of these birds are only imperfectly known, I draw the atten- 

 tion of my fellow-ornithologists in Japan to the great importance of 

 collecting extensive series of these birds and to study them closely. 

 Should then the little Japanese Yellow Bittern turn out to be distinct, 

 I would propose to name it Ar delta lufeola. 



The Little Yellow Bittern is closely allied to the European A. mimita, 

 Ibut differs at once by having in no stage of plumage the glossy black 

 back of the latter. The young ones are especially alike, but the Eastern 

 species has the light edges to the feathers of the back broader and 

 brighter, and has also light edges to the feathers on the top of the head, 

 while in the young Euroi)eau bird the crown and upper nape are nearly 

 solid black. 



In the Ij^blo below I have included the dimensions of several extra- 

 limital specimens for comparison. But I do so especially in order to call 

 attention to the necessity of having the sex of these birds carefully 

 ascertained b^' dissection. Judging from analogy, I take the adult 

 Japan bird to be a female, and the larger, but younger, ones to be males. 

 By a similar way of reasoning we are led to believe that the adult 

 Philippine example is a female, and the one from Hankow a male. If 

 these assumptions be correct, then the Japanese form is larger, but 

 everybody will see how futile are conclusions drawn from such material. 

 To be of value the specimens must be properly sexed. 



Aleasurements. 



o 



Ota, Bl., 2704 . 

 Blakist., 2592 

 Ilenson, 147 . . 



Swinboe 



Jony 



SbansbaiMns 



Locality. 



Date. 



-i s » 





95972 

 95971 



109455 

 77002 

 37714 

 86102 

 85749 



ad 



jun .. . 

 d .jnn. 

 cf jnn. 



ad 



ad..-, 

 cfjun. 

 juu ... 



Wakayama, Kii, Hondo 



Hakoflate, Yezo 



do 



Slilmosa, Ilondo 



Pbilii)pine8 



Hankow, China 



Deep Bay, Hong-Kong, Cbina . . 

 Shangbai, China 



Sept. — , 



Sept. 6, 1883 

 Mar. — , 1884 



"Summer" . 

 Oct. 9, 1881 



46 39 

 41 



46 I 30 

 43 I 37 



...1 37 



47 39 



