312 



REVIf:W OF JAPANESE BIRDS. 



cedeute [A. clncrea] et daus les lueiues climats qui vienuent d'etre 

 d^sigues ci-dessiis," where he says that the common Herous " font aussi 

 partie des oiseaux qui peuplent les contrees du Japou et les cotes de la 

 Cor^ft."' 



Meyeu {J. c.) separated the Philippine Islauds bird subspecitically from 

 the Western examples, it is said, on account of its superior size. I have 

 only one Eastern bird at hand, but as far as size is concerned, it is rather 

 smaller than the European specimens, as will be seen from the table be- 

 low. Then the question conies up whether the Philippine bird is iden- 

 tical with those inhabiting Pegu, a question which, of course, cannot 

 be settled without specimens from those islands. For the present I 

 feel constrained to assume that all the Eastern birds belong to the same 

 race, if, in reality, they differ from Western specimens, and my Pegu 

 bird leads nie to think that such is the case. This specimen is certainly 

 very different from two European examples and one from South Africa, 

 particularly in the following points: 



(1) The entire front of the neck is destitute of the black longitudinal 

 spots and streaks so conspicuous in the other three examples. 



(2) The whole breast and abdomen is black with a greenish gloss, a 

 narrow margin of liver-brown separating it from the gray of the flanks^ 

 while in the other specimens the under surface is of a viuaceous chest- 

 nut, marked in the middle with large blackish longitudinal spots. 



(3) "Epaulettes" anteriorly of a deep claret-brown, with a hoary 

 suffusion, posteriorly grading into a bluish or greenish — according to 

 the light — slate-color, against the medium bay color of these tufts in the 

 Western specimens. 



(4) The interscapilium appears to be of a more plumbeous tint. 

 Should these differences hold good in other specimens from the East, 



it will be necessary to recognize the Purple Heron from there as a dis- 

 tinct geographical subspecies at least. 



2Iea8urements. 



Schlegel remarks (Mus. P.-Bas, Ardeae, p. 8) that birds from Eastern 

 and Southern Africa seem to be smaller than those from other countries. 

 The above measurements slightly corrobora tethis statement, but then 

 Bonaparte diagnosed his A. pharaonka "from Eastern Africa" as 



