314 



REVIEW OF JAPANESE BIRDS. 



In a letter dated September 21, 188C, Captain Blakiston kindly in- 

 formed me that Mr. Heuson, of Hakodate, bad obtained at that place, 

 on October 10, another specimen of the Great Egret, a $ , with yellow 

 bill. 



Through the liberality of Mr. Benson I have had the opportunity to 

 examine this specimen. The measurements are incorporated in the table 

 below. It is in every respect a typical H. alba in winter plumage. 



It would appear that this large form, apparently identical with the 

 European bird, is only an occasional winter visitor to the Japanese 

 islands, which would account for the four specimens thus far collected 

 there having yellow bills. This circumstance seems, therefore, to in- 

 dicate that the difference in size between this form and the birds breed- 

 ing in Japan is not simply one of individual variation. 



Measurcjiients. 



Mr. Jouy's remarks in regard to the fresh colors of these birds are as 

 follows : 



" Iris, chrome ; bill, yellow, with the tip of upper mandible dusky ; 

 bill at bas and lores greenish ; tarsus and toes black ; naked portion of 

 tibia mottled with yellowish." 



(i:34.) Herodias alba modesta (J. E. Gray). 



South 

 1827.- 

 1831.- 



1831.- 

 1831.- 



1835. 



1849. 



1854.- 

 1874.- 

 1876.- 



0-sasi. 



•eastern Egret. 



-Ardea flavirostris Wagler, Syst. Av., p. 210, n. 9 {nee Vieill., 1823). 



-Ardeatorra "Buciiaxan," Franklin, P. Z. S., 1831, p. 123.— ZTerofZifls torra 



Hume, Stray Feath., VI, 1878, p. 472. 

 -Jrdfaj>((/m Buchanan, tide Frankliu, P. Z. S., 1831. p. 124. 

 -Ardea modesta J. E. Gray, Zool. Miscell., p. 19.—Egretta m. Swinhoe, Ibis, 



1876, p. 335.— Blakist. & Pryer, Ibis, 1878, p. 224.— Seeboiim, Ibis, 1879, p. 



27.— Herodias m. Blakist. & Pryer, Tr. As. Soc. Jap., VIII, 1880, p. 199.— 



lid., ibid., X, 1882, p. 118.— Blakist., Amend. List B. Jap., pp. 12, 40 (1884). 

 -Ardea egretta Temminck, Man. d'Oni., 2ed.,III, p. lii ; IV, p. 372 (1840; {nee 



Gmel., 1788).— Schlegel, Mus. P.-Bas, Ardete, p. 17 (part) (1863). 

 -Ardea alba Temm. & Schleg., Fauna Japon., Aves, p. 114.— Cassin, Proc. 



Acad. Pliilada., 1862, p. 321.— Herodias a. McVean, Proc. R. Phys. Soc. 



Ediub., 1877, Extr. p. 7. 

 -'i Herodias latiefn A. E. Breum, Jonni. f. Oni., 1854, p. 80. 

 -Egretta syrmatophora Taczanowski, fourn. f. Orn., 1874, p. 325 {nee Gould). 

 -Ardea alba vur. modeata Bruggeman, Abb. Natnrw. Ver. Bremen, V, p. 96. 



