18. G0R8ACHIU8. 16T 



Nycticorax goisagi {nee Temm.), Ilartl. Sf Finsch, P. Z. S. 1868, p. 8 



(Pelew Is.j. 

 Nyciicorax melanolophus, Finsch, Journ. Mus. Godeffr. vii. p. 35 



(1875 : Teluw Is.). 

 Botaurus luelanolophus, 72ejfAert. J.f. O. 1877, p. 24G. 

 Butio kutteri, Cab. Orn. Centralbl. no. 20, (Jet. 1881, p. 159 ; id. 



J. f. O. 1881, p. 425 (Philippines) ; Reichen. S,- Schalow, J. f. O. 



1882, p. 115. 

 Butio (Gorsachius) kutteri, Kutter, J. f. O. 1832, p. 178, Taf. iii. 

 Gorsachius goisagi {nee T.), Scdvad. Ann. Mus. Genov. xviii. p. 336 



(1882) ; id. Orn. Fapuasiae dalle Molucche, iii. p. 370 (1882). 



Adult male. General colour above uniform cinnamon-rufous, the 

 •vring-coverts and mantle with a slight ashy shade and with a certain 

 amount of indistinct freckling ; bastard-wing feathers black or 

 slightly mottled with rufous and having broad white tips ; outer 

 primary-coverts black, broadly tipped with white and rufous at the 

 base ; remainder of primary-coverts cinnamon-rufous slightly tipped 

 with white ; quills black, externally shaded with grey, broadly 

 tipped with cinnamon-rufous, narrowly fringed with white at the 

 ends ; outer primaries with a large white terminal spot ; the inner 

 secondaries like the back ; upper tail -coverts and tail dark slate- 

 colour, with a slight rufescent tinge at the ends of the inner web : 

 crown of head and long nuchal crest-feathers slaty-grey or black : 

 a narrow line of feathers over the eye vinous cinnamon, broadening 

 out above the ear-coverts and occupying the sides of the crown, 

 sides of neck, and sides of face ; chin and centre of throat pale 

 isabelline brown, streaked with black down the centre of the 

 throat, the black markings on the feathers being lateral and some- 

 what irregular in shape, the inner webs paler and cream-coloured, 

 imparting a rather broadly streaked appearance to the fore-neck ; 

 centre of breast and abdomen white or creamy buff, the feathers 

 notched and barred with dusky, more distinct on the sides of the 

 body ; abdomen fulvescent and the under tail-coverts white, both 

 of them scarcely spotted at all ; the under wing-coverts white, 

 regularly spotted and barred with dusky ; the axillaries regularly 

 banded with ])lack and white ; quills ashy grey below, with the 

 same rufous and white tips as on the upper surface : " culmen 

 black, the sides of the upper mandible and the lower one fleshy ; 

 legs and feet greenish, washed with brown on the front of the 

 tarsus and toes ; iris golden yellow, frosted or stippled with olive at 

 the exterior ; gape, orbital and loral skin greenish and slaty " 

 ( W. V. Legge). Total length 20 inches, culmen 2, wing 10-6, 

 tail 4, tarsus 2-7. 



Adult female. Similar to the male. 



The sequence of plumages in these Night Herons is not very 

 easy to follow, but the nestling from Mindanao clearly proves that 

 the first plumage is spotted with white and that the quills have 

 broad white tips. Both G. melanoloplms and G. goisagi occur on 

 Mindanao, but the latter is doubtless only a winter visitor, while the 

 former bird is resident. The same thing occurs in the island of 

 Formosa, as has been duly pointed out by Mr, Seebohm, in his 



