1872.] ON THE BIEDS OF CELEBES. 199 



Demiegretta, Blyth. '"''■■ ^^ .;,"''• 



' •' p. lUU. 



174. Demiegeetta sacra (Gm.), Syst. Nat. ed. 13, i. p. fi40, ex Latham. 



Ilab. Menado {mns. twsfr.). 



Two examples of an Ashy Egret were received from Menado in the dark ashy phase, but 

 wanting the crest, dorsal trains, and pectoral plumes of the breeding-plumage. Both have a narrow 

 median white line commencing at the chin and descending, with broken intervals, down the 

 throat. No other part of the plumage is white. The wing measures lO^j- inches ; the bill, from 

 the forehead, 3 inches; the tarsus 2 J inches ; middle toe, without the nail, IJJ inch. The dimen- 

 sions of the bill, tarsus, and middle toe are much less than those given by Dr. Jerdon of the Indian 

 bird, D. aslia (Sykes). 



Dr. O. Finsch (Centralpolyn. p. 201) has united all the titles given to the numerous named 

 local races of this species under Gmelin's title of sacra, bestowed by him on the Sacred Herou 

 of Latham, brought by Sir J. Banks from Otaheite. A want of a sufficient number of examples 

 prevents me from questioning the correctness of this deduction, and I therefore provisionally 

 adopt Gmelin's title. For an elaborate essay on the species, conf. Finsch & Hartl. I. c. 



Nycticorax, Stephens. 



175. Ntcticor.o: griseus (Linn.), Syst. Nat. ed. 12, i. p. 239 (17GG) ; Schlegel, Mus. Pays- 

 Bas, Ardece, p. 58. 



Hah. Gorontalo (Forsten) ; Europe, Africa, Asia, America (Ardea gardeni, Gm.). 



176. Ntcticoeax caledonicus (Gm.), Syst. Nat. ed. 13, i. p. G26, "Nova Caledonia" (1788), 

 ex Lath. Syn. iii. p. 55 ; Schlegel, Mus. Pays-Bas, Ardece, p. 59. 



Ardea macnlata. Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp. p. Ixiv (1801), " New Holland," fide Strickl. Ann. 

 Nat. Hist. xi. p. 338, av.jtiv. 



Hah. Macassar (<S'. Milller) ; Tondano {Forsten) ; Timor, Gilolo, Morty Island, Amboyna 

 [Mus. Lu(/d.); New Caledonia {ft/jie) ; Australia (Gould); Cape York (mus. )wsfr.). 



Ardea caledonica, Forster, apiid Meyen (N. Act. Ac. C. L. C. xvi. Suppl. prim. p. 103), 

 seems to be Nycticorax manilensis, Vigors ; and I have therefore omitted the Philippines from 

 the range of Gmelin's species. 



BuTORiDES, Blyth. 



177. BuTORiDES JAVAMCA (Horsf.), Trans. Linn, Soc. xiii. p. 190, "Java'" (1822) ; Schlegel, 

 Mus. Pays-Bas, Ardece, p. 44. 



Hah. Gorontalo (Forsfow) ; Menado (m?/s. wos^r.). 



The range of this Heron cannot be accurately stated until its conspecies have been studied 

 and defined. Conf. Finsch & Hartl. Faun. Centralpolyn. p. 207, by whom, however, no 

 specific diff"erences are admitted to exist. My Menado example is in full breeding-plumage, and Tr. Z. S.viii. 

 conspicuously differs from Indian and Cingalese examples in having the crown and crest dark ?• • 

 green, almost black, instead of a much lighter shade of green. Other differences are to be 

 detected, which may not prove constant. For instance, in a Ceylon example, all the wing-coverts, 



2d2 



