176 MANUAL OF PHILIPnXE BIRDS. 



"The young bird is browner tlian tlie adults, M'ith wliite mesial streaks 

 on the wing-coverts; crown of head dusky black; under surface of l)ody 

 less gray and washed with l)rown."" (Shnrpe.) 



"Extremely common. Found both along the seashore and about fresh- 

 water streams and lakes." (Bounh^ and Worcester MS.) 



140. BUTORIDES AMURENSIS (Schrenck). 

 AMUR GREEN HERON. 



Ardea lirescetis var. (tiiiarensis Schrexck, Reis. Amuil. (1800), 1, 437. 



Butorides amurensis Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (18))eS), 26, 181; Hand- 

 List (1899). 1, 200; McGregor and Worcester. Hand-List (190G), 

 U. 



Calavan (Mc(Sregor) ; Cebu {Everett, McGregor) ; Luzon {Whitehead); Pa- 

 lawan {Everett) ; Samar {Steere). Greater Siinda Islands, China, .Japan. Celebes, 

 Aniurland. 



Altliough in color this species seems to be exactly like B. javanica it is 

 much larger; the length of wing is particularly noticealile and the bill 

 is longer, and deeper. A male collected by Major Mearns measures: 

 Wing, 210; tail, 73; culmen from frontal feathers, 66; depth of bill at 

 posterior border of nostril, 15; tarsus, 54; middle toe with claw, 62. 



A female from Calayan measures: Wing, 197; tail, 69; culmen from 

 frontal feathers, 64; depth of bill at posterior border of nostril, 13 ; tarsus, 

 52; middle toe with claw, 54. 



Some of the records for B. javanica probal)ly refer to the {)resent species 

 but it is impossible to disentangle them. 



147. BUTORIDES SPODIOGASTER Sharpe. 



NICOBAR GREEN HERON. 



Jiutorides spodioyaster Sharpe, Bull. Brit. Orn. Club (1894), 3, 17; Cat. 

 Birds Brit. Mus. (1898), 26, 182, pi. 2; Hand-List (1899), 1, 200; 

 Mearns, Phil. .Jour. Sci. (1907), 2, sec. A, 353. 



Palawan (.l/e«//is). Andaman and Xieobar Islands. 



"Adult. — Similar to B. javanica, but darker gray on the under surface, 

 which is of a sooty-slate color with a slight tinge of rusty on the abdomen, 

 cheeks and ear-coverts uniform slate-color. It much resembles B. stng- 

 natilis. especially the birds from Flores, but it is not so dingy under- 

 neath and has a less shade of rusty on the al)domen. 'Bill black, lower 

 portion of lower mandible, from base to tip, edged pale horny ; front 

 of tarsus, toes, and claws brownish green, bare portion of tibia and back 

 of tarsus dirty greenish yellow; naked skin round eye dull green, tinged 

 with yellow in front; eyelids deep green.' (Ilnnie.) Length, 445; 

 culmen, 60; wing, 193; tail, 53; tarsus, 43." (Sharpe.) 



This species ditfers from both B. javanica and a)nitrensi.'< in its much 

 darker color, particularly of the under parts which are nearly uniform 



