THE BIKDS OF THE NATUNA ISLANDS 17 



IXOBRYCHUS SINENSIS LEPIDUS (Horsfield) 



Ardea lepida Horsfield, Trans. Linn. Soc. London, vol. 13, pt. 1, p. 190, May, 

 1821. ("Java.") 



The single specimen examined from the Natuna Islands is a female, 

 not quite adult, U.S.N.M. No. 174655, collected by Doctor Abbott 

 on Pulo Midei, May 23, 1900. "Feet pale green; iris yellow.'^ 

 Length in flesh, 387 mm. It appears to belong to the Javan race, 

 rather than to Ixobrychus sinensis pulcher Hume, described from the 

 Andaman Islands. Its measurements are as follows: Wing, 134.5; 

 tail, 47; exposed culmen, 56; height of bill at base, 11.2; tarsus, 46; 

 middle toe without claw, 40.5 mm. The species appears hitherto not 

 to have been recorded from the Natuna Islands. 



This species of bittern is divisible into a number of races, of which 

 at least seven seem to be now recognizable, as follows : 



1. Ixobrychus sinensis sinensis (Gmehn). 



[Ardea] Sinensis Gmelust, Systema naturae, vol. 1, pt. 2, p. 642, Apr. 20, 1789. 



("Sina.") 

 Ardea melanotis Gray, The genera of birds, vol. 3, Appendix, p. 25, May, 1849, 



(in text) (as synonym of Ardea sinensis) (Cuvier MS.). 

 Ardea melanoptera Lesson, Trait6 d 'ornithologie, p. 573, June 11, 1931 (in text) 



(synonym of Ardea sinensis Gmelin) (Cuvier MS.). 

 Ardea melanophis Pucheran, Rev. et Mag. Zool., ser. 2, vol. 3, no. 8, p. 375, 



Aug., 1851 (in text) (synonym of Ardea sinensis Gmelin) (Cuvier MS.). 



Geographic distribution. — China to Cochin China and [?] Siam. 



2. Ixobrychus sinensis pulcher (Hume). 



[Ardea] pulchra Hume, Stray Feathers, vol. 1, nos. 2, 3, 4, p. 309, Feb., 1873 (in 

 text). ("Port Blair [South Andaman Island] Andamans.") 



Geographic distribution. — India, Ceylon, Burma, Andaman Islands, 

 Nicobar Islands, and Malay Peninsula to Singapore. 



3. Ixobrychus sinensis lepidus (Horsfield). 



Ardea lepida Horsfield, Trans. Linn. Soc. London, vol. 13, pt. 1, p. 190, May, 

 1821. ("Java.") 



Geographic distribution. — Java, east to Timor, north to Borneo 

 and the Natuna Islands, and west to Sumatra. 



4. Ixobrychus sinensis astrologus Wetmore. 



Ixobrychus sinensis astrologus Wetmore, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, vol. 31, p. 

 83, June 29, 1918. ("Paete, Laguna, Luzon, Philippine Islands.") 



Geographic distribution. — Philippine Islands, south to Celebes and 

 Ceram and east to New Guinea and New Britain. 



5. Ixobrychus sinensis moorei Wetmore. 



Ixobrychus sinensis moorei Wetmore, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., vol. 63, no 2, 

 p. 173, June, 1919. ("Polynesia; Middle Caroline Islands; Truk Group, 

 Uala.") 



Geographic distribution. — Caroline Islands and (?) Pelew Islands. 



