166 MANUAL OF PHILIPPINE BIRDS. 
137. MESOPHOYX INTERMEDIA (Wagler). 
LESS: EGRET, 
Ardea intermedia WAGLER, Isis (1829), 659. 
Mesophoyax intermedia SHARPE, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1898), 26, 85; Hand- 
List (1899), 1, 195; Oates, Cat. Birds’ Eggs (1902), 2, 115; Mc- 
Grecor and WorcESsTER, Hand-List (1906), 32. 
Bohol (Steere Eap.); Calayan (McGregor); Mindanao (Everett); Mindoro , 
(Bourns & Worcester); Palawan (Whitehead); Samar (Steere Hxp.). Indian 
Peninsula, Malayan Archipelago, China, Japan. 
“Adult male in breeding plumage.—Pure white above and below; the 
head crested; but having no drooping plumes; long ornamental plumes 
of back immensely developed, being 430 mm. in length; feathers on the 
- fore neck beautifully developed, 200 mm. long, the webs entirely broken 
up; bare part of tibia entirely black like the tarsi and toes. ‘Bill black, 
facial skin green; iris yellow; feet and toes black.’ (Oates.) Length, 
about 208; culmen, 74; wing, 317; tail, 137; tarsus, is middle toe 
with claw, 99. 
“Adult female-—Similar to the male, but the ornamental plumes not 
so much developed. 
“Adults in winter plumage. (ek white, but losing the ornamental 
plumes altogether. ‘Bill yellow, with blackish tip.’ (Oates.) 
“Young.—Entirely like the adults in winter plumage; the texture of 
the plumage soft and downy, and devoid of ornamental plumes.” 
( Sharpe.) 
“Comparatively rare and very shy. Fairly abundant about the La- 
guna de Naujan in Mindoro.” (Bourns and Worcester MS.) 
Genus HERODIAS Boie, 1822. 
Of very large size and plumage entirely pure white. 
138. HERODIAS TIMORIENSIS (Lesson). 
TIMOR WHITE EGRET. 
Ardea timoriensis Lesson, Traité d’Orn. (1831), 575. 
Herodias timoriensis SHARPE, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1898), 26, 98; Hand- 
List (1899), 1, 195; Mearns, Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash. (1905), 18, 89; 
McGrecor and WorcESsTER, Hand-List (1906), 33. 
Luzon (McGregor); Mindanao (Mearns). Northern China and Japan to 
Australia. 
Adult male in breeding plumage.—“Entirely pure white; a bunch of 
elongated plumes on the back scarcely reaching beyond the tail. - ‘Bill 
beautiful orange; naked space before and behind the eye fine greenish 
yellow; legs above the knee pale dull yellow, this color continued down 
the center of the inner part of the tarsi; remainder of tarsi and feet 
