ARDE/D.li. 



21 



Famit.v ARDE'ID^.— Hhroxs. 



(u'lirra. 



With the tail composed of 12 feathers; claws rather short and strongly curved 

 (tail feathers stiffer than the coverts); (Sub-family Ardci'me;) bill only moderate, 

 never equal to the length of the middle toe and tarsus combined; bill without distinct 

 serrations on tlie upper mandible; upper mandible with notch near the tip. 



a. Ciihueii /oiii^rr lliaii llic larsiis, the latter longer than the middle toe. 



( Page 21.) Demiegret'ta. 



aa. Ciihiini sliDiIrr ///an middle toe and ahaiit equal In tarsi(s; plumage of young 

 and old very different; bill thick, i.e., culmen rarely more than four times as long as 

 the depth of bill at base (Page 21.) Nycti'corax. 



Gkm-s DEMIEGRETTA Ki.vtii. 



General color alxnc and below deep l^lackest slate, the feathers almost Ijlack; 



featliers of tlic upper Ijreast elongated like those of the middle back, both paler slaty grey; 



abdomen and vent feathers tinged with ashy white; a pure white .streak down the centre 



of the throat. I-'eiuale similar. }o////x'.' Paler and more sootv brown. Jf'l/i/e foiiii: 



Exactly similar to the grey form, only white. Hah. Malay Peninsular and islands to 



Australia, Islands of the Pacific, Fiji, Samoa, etc., north to bav of Corea. Hawaiian 



Islands! ?).-'" 



37. D. sacra (V,y\v.\..). Sacred Heron. 



Gknts NYCTI'CORAX .Stki-hkns. 



Pie:'ailiiiii i<doi\ hliiisli i^rev in adall, hroii'insli and siriped lano/Zadinally u'i/l/ 

 ■n'liile in the voniio-; gonvs nearly straight; culmen and tarsus about equal (vSub-genus 

 Nretieorax)\ base of forehead and evebrow white; no chestnut on the back and tail ; no 

 white on the back ; under tail coverts white, as well as the under sides of the body, with a 

 delicate shade of grey, especially on the neck and chest ; back and crown glossy black 

 green ; wings dove color ; head with two or three long slender white plumes, in the 

 breeding plumage. Female: Similar to adult male both summer and winter. Young: 

 Light brown above, tinged with cinnamon, most marked on the wing quills; each 

 feather of the body with a white tear-shaped shaft stripe; quills with small wliite 

 tips; sides of head and neck and entire lower parts striped white and greyish brown; 

 throat whitish. Length 23.00-26.00 (25.00), wing 11. 60-12. 50, tail 4.10-4.75, culmen 

 2.70-3.35, tarsus 2.72-3.05, middle toe 3.10-3.45, depth of beak .85-.95. Ilah. \\'ide- 



-"The rtfcicncc which Prt-sideiit Uolc. makes (Hawaiian .\imual. 1S79, p. 5.>) lo this species is llie iiiily iiceouiit uf its evei- liLin^ seen in 

 the Islands. Since he speaks cit it as ■'connnon all over the .uroup." autl 'when in Inll pluniaRe the Ion;; fe.ithcvs iif the crest and b.ick are 

 blackish purple, and from the back ..I the head three long feathers of the ]>urest white hanj;." etc.. it is ijuite probable that the binl lU 

 .scrilied is the common Aiikii. 



