84 ON A COLLECTION OF BIRDS 



Ceylon , tlie Nicobar Islands , China , Formosa , the Philip- 

 pines and the three great Sunda Islands , inch Banka. In 

 Ceylon and the Nicobars , the Malayan Peninsula and the 

 Sunda Islands it is only found as a winter-visitant, while 

 nestlings are recorded from different parts of the Conti- 

 nent and from Formosa (Swinhoe). 



The synonymy of this species is much entangled with 

 that of G. goisagi (Temm.) from Japan , and hitherto it 

 was not out of question if the latter be really a good spe- 

 cies or if it has to be added to the synonymy of G. me- 

 lanolophus. 



A comparative examination of our material of this ge- 

 nus and the literature in which it is treated of, convinced 

 me however that both species are to be kept specifically 

 distinct. The synonymy of the Japanese species would be 

 as follows: 



Gor sachius goisagi. 



Nycticorax goisagi, ïemm. P. C. V. 582 (1836) (adult, Japan); — 



Hard. & Fiusch, P. Z. S. 1868, p. 8 (Pelew IsL); id. P. 



Z. S. 1872, p. 89. 

 Ardea goisagi, Temm. & Sclil. Fauna Jap. p. 116, pi. 70 (1850); — 



Blackiston, Ibis 1862, p. 331 (Northern Japan); — Swinhoe, 



Ibis 1865, p. 358 (Formosa). 

 Gorsachius goisagi, Blyth, Ibis 1865, p. 38 (Japan). 

 Goisakius melanolophus , Gray, Handl. Birds, p. 33 (1871) (Japan, 



Pelew Isl.). 

 Nycticorax melanolophus, Finsch, Journ. Mus. Godeflfroy, VIII, p. 



35 (1875). 

 'Botaurus melanolophus, Reichenow, J. f. 0. 1877, p. 246. 

 Goisachius melanolophus, Blackiston & Pryer, Ibis 1878, p. 223 



(Japan); — Seebohm, Ibis 1884, p. 176 (Japan). 

 Gorsachius melanolophus, Ramsay, Ibis 1884, p. 325 (Philippines). 



Our series of this species has not encreased since Prof. 

 Schlegel wrote his Catalogue of the Ardeae. It still consists 

 of 4 specimens from Japan , and contains the specimens 

 used for the plates published in the PI. Col. and the Fauna 

 Japonica (adult and young). 



Notes from the Leyden Museum , Vol. IX. 



J 



