GRALLATORES. 309 



the habits of the bird being modified by circumstances, or the 

 pccuHar nature of the situations in which they happened to be 

 observed. 



Down the centre of the chin a hue of buff in some, white 

 in others ; the whole of the remainder of the plumage dark 

 slaty black, with a wash of grey on the lengthened scapularies, 

 and the lanceolate feathers pendent from the chest ; bill pale 

 dirty yellowish green ; lores dull oil-green ; tarsi and tibiae 

 pale or apple-green ; soles of the feet dirty yellow. 



Some ornithologists believe that this and the succeeding 

 species are identical and the latter merely a white variety, but 

 I must refer my readers to what Mr. Macgillivray says on this 

 head in my account of H. greyi, and I think they will then 

 agree with me in keeping them distinct. I certainly have 

 never seen a white variety on the southern coasts of Australia. 



Sp. 556. DEMIEGRETTA GREYI. 



White Reef-Heron. 

 Herodias Gretji, Gray, List of Birds in Brit. Mus. Coll., part iii. p. 80. 



Herodias greyi, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. vi. pi. 61. 



This species of Heron is abundantly dispersed over the 

 northern and eastern coasts of Australia wherever low islands 

 and reefs of coral running parallel to those coasts occur. It 

 presents so many points of similarity in size and in form to 

 the B.jiigidaris, that I have long been of opinion that it is 

 merely an albino variety of that species, an opinion which I 

 find has been entertained by others. Mr. Macgillivray, how- 

 ever, states that they are distinct, and to him I am indebted 

 for the following observations : — 



" From the circumstance of my having always found this 

 and the dark-coloured species" {D. jugular is) "in company, 

 I considered them as the same bird in different states of plu- 

 mage, their size and proportions being so similar, and was 



