GRALLATORES. 297 



suddenly changed to a sound very like the groan of a person 

 in extreme agony. 



Head, neck, and all the upper surface vinous brown, a few 

 of the back feathers with a faint line of white down the centre, 

 and the primaries and tail washed with grey ; chin white ; 

 front of the neck and all the under surface greyish brown, 

 the lengthened plumes on the lower part of the neck and 

 chest with a stripe of white down the centre ; irides yellow ; 

 bill blackish brown ; basal half of the lower mandible yel- 

 lowish white, apical half yellow ; legs and feet dark greenish 

 grey ; hinder part of the tarsi and inside of the feet yellowish 

 grey. 



Total lengths; inches; bill 7; wing 16^; tail 7 ; tarsi G|. 



Sp. 547. ARDEA PACIFICA, Lath 



Pacific Heron. 



Ardea pacifica, Lath. Incl. Orn., Supp. p. Ixv. 

 Pacific Heron, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 305. 

 Ardea hallaragang, Wagl. Syst. Av., gen. Ardea, sp. 5. 



JU-lee-mil-yun, Aborigines of the lowland, and 



Koon-jere, Aborigines of the mountain districts of Western Australia. 



White-necked Heron of the Colonists. 



Ardea pacifica, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. vi. pi. 52. 



The Ardea pacifica appears to be a summer visitor to the 

 whole of the southern coast of Australia. In New South 

 Wales its occurrence depends in a great degree upon the 

 nature of the season ; if much rain has fallen, the la- 

 goons and rivers become filled, and abound with frogs, 

 newts, and aquatic insects : its presence may be looked for in 

 all such situations, where it wades about in search of the 

 animals enumerated, upon all of which it feeds with avidity, 

 and partakes less of fish than other Herons. No one of the 

 ArdeidfE is more ornamental to the landscape than the present 

 bird, its white neck offering a decided and pleasing contrast 



