220 Mr. C. B. Rickett— Field-Notes 



Platalea leucorodia Linn. 



I have obtained only one specimen of this species. It was 

 shot in January and gave the following measurements : — 

 Wing 15*3 in., tarsus 6*2, culmen 8"7. The crest was not 

 fully developed, the longest feather being 2*5 in. 



One secondary in the left wing was dark-shafted, while the 

 shafts of two or three primaries were faintly darkened near 

 the tips. The tip of the first primary in the right wing had 

 two tiny dark spots, otherwise the dress was that of the adult. 

 Bill black, spatule yellow. 



Herodias alba (Linn.). 



In the Cat. B. Brit. Mus. vol. xxvi. p. 99, the Chinese 

 bird is described as H. timoriensis, which differs from 

 H. alba in having "the bill yellow in summer and winter, the 

 train of dorsal feathers not very long and scarcely reaching 

 beyond the tail." 



This description certainly does not apply to the bird that 

 we used to meet with about Foochow before the " plume 

 trade " deprived us of all our Egrets. 



In my four examples of this species in breeding-dress the 

 dorsal trains extend three or four inches beyond the tail, and 

 in one at least the bill is blackish. 



La Touche, to whom I referred the question, writes as 

 follows: — " My experience is that birds in breeding-plumage 

 have generally greenish-black bills. The trains are always 

 very long, at least in the males, and extend far beyond the 

 tail." 



Herodias eulophotes Swinhoe. 



Here again I am unable to agree with the ' Catalogue.' 

 In vol. xxvi. p. 141, Dr. Sharpe writes : — " It is with great 

 hesitation that I have added the name of Demiegretta eulo- 

 photes to the long list of synonyms of D. sacra." 



In order to throw some light on this subject, I took to 

 England with me in 1900 four fine specimens of H. eulophotes 

 in breeding-plumage. These, together with one that I had 

 previously presented to the Museum, and two of Swinhoe's 

 skins (one of which was the type), formed a sufficiently good 



