GRALLATORKS. 305 



Sp. 552. HERODIAS GARZETTA. 



Little Egret. 



Ardea garzetta, Linn. Syst. Nat., vol. i. p. 937. 

 orientalis, Gray, Zool. Misc., p. 20. 



Mr. Coxen, of Queensland, has sent me a photograph of a 

 little white Egret which had been killed in the neighbourhood 

 of Brisbane. The lithograph shows two lengthened, narrow, 

 white, pendant plumes, springing from the occiput, like 

 those seen in the Herodias garzetta of India and Europe, 

 and I have not the slightest doubt that the Australian bird is 

 identical with that species ; thus another member of the Ar- 

 deiida is added to the avifauna of Australia. 



Sp. 553. HERODIAS ASHA. 



Sombre Egret. 



Ardea asha, Sykes, Proc. of Comm. of Sci. and Corr. of Zool. Soc, 



part xi. p. 157. 

 Herodias pannosus, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part xv. p. 221. 

 asJia, Bonap. Compt. Rend, de I'Acad. Sci., torn. xl. seance du 



2 Avril, 1855. 

 Demiegretta usha^ Jerd. Birds of India, vol. ii. part ii. p. II '^1. 



Herodias pannosus, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. vi. pi. 59. 



The only example of this species that has come under my 

 observation is the fine adult specimen I received from the 

 neighbourhood of Port Stephens in 1843. Unfortunately I 

 am not able to give any information respecting it, as no note 

 of any kind accompanied the specimen. Its dark colouring 

 and very slender and elegant form distinguish it from every 

 other species of the group to which it belongs. 



The entire plumage is bluish or slaty black, with the excep- 

 tion of the chin, which is pure white. 



Total length 24 inches ; bill 4^ ; wing 10| ; tail 4 ; tarsi 4 J. 



VOL. II. X 



