GRALLATORES. 307 



Genus DEMIEGRETTA, Blyth. 



Mr. Blyth has proposed this term for the Reef Herons, and 

 accordmg to Mr. G. R. Gray's hst of genera D. jugularis is 

 the type. They are widely distributed over the shores of the 

 southern parts of the Old World, and according to Dr. Baird 

 three species of the same form are found in North America. 



Sp. 555. DEMIEGRETTA JUGULARIS. 



Blue Reef Heron. 



Ardea jugularis, Forst. Icon. Ined., t. cxiv. 



ccerulea, var. Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. ix. p. 117. 



matook, Vieill. 2de Edit, du Nouv. Diet. d'Hist. Nat., torn. xiv. 



p. 416. 

 Her odias jugularis, List of Birds in Brit. Mus. Coll., part iii. p. 80. 

 Blue Crane, Colonists of Port Essington. 



Herodias jugularis, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. vi. pi. 60. 



The Blue Reef Heron is universally distributed over the 

 whole of the coasts of the great continent of Australia, and is 

 also found in New Zealand : the sea-coast is evidently the 

 place destined by nature for this bird to inhabit ; it especially 

 loves to dwell on shores of a rocky nature ; and when dis- 

 turbed merely takes short flights to seaward, and returns again 

 to some prominent point, whence it can survey all around and 

 feel itself in security. Its food appears to consist of crabs and 

 shelled mollusks ; the stomachs of those dissected were very 

 muscular, and contained the remains of both those kinds of 

 animals ; hence the necessity for the powerful bill and pecu- 

 liar structure of feet with which this bird is provided. 



" This species," says Mr. MacgilUvray, " inhabits the islands 

 of the north-east coast of Australia and Torres' Straits, and is 

 abundantly distributed from the Capricorn group in lat. 

 23° 30' S., as far north as Darnley Island in lat. 9° 35' S. it 

 procures its food at low water on the coral reef surrounding 



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