Mr. W. R. Offilvie-Grant on the Genus Platalea. 55 



'to 



opposite to that of P. melanorhyncha, of about the same age, 

 will be sufficient to show the striking differences between 

 these two species. 



The head of a young bird from North Goto Island, in Canon 

 Tristram's museum, has the spatule unusually wide. Thanks 

 to the kindness o£ Dr. Biittikofer, I have received a life-sized 

 water-colour drawing of the head of tlie type of P. minor ,\\\\\c\\ 

 is in the Ley den Museum ; and from this the accompanying 

 woodcut (p. 39) has been carefully copied. The feathering 

 of the face and throat, allowing for slight individual varia- 

 tion, agrees exactly with the other specimens of about the 

 same age. I must add, a propos of Dv. Stejneger's remark 

 (op. cit. p. 28i), already alluded to, that the type of P. minor 

 does not bear out his theory, there being considerably less 

 naked skin in it than in more mature birds. I have also re- 

 ceived a drawing from Dr. Biittikofer of the specimen killed 

 by Mr. Swinhoe at Swatow and sent to the Leyden Museum, 

 which is a nearly mature bird, and in many respects similar 

 to his adult male from Tamsuy, Formosa. It was this speci- 

 men which induced Prof. Schlegel to unite P. major and 

 P. minor, though in reality they are widely distinct species. 

 Char. — Adult J* . Naked skin of forehead and throat 

 black ; bill black, with a yellow patch across the spatule. 

 A yellow patch under and in front of the eye, extending 

 in a narrow line over the upper lid. The plumes on the 

 forehead advance to about the middle of the eye, within 

 about '6 of the base of the culmen ; on the throat they 

 advance between the rami of the mandible in a short 

 blunt angle. Primaries white. 

 Adult ?. (Similar? smaller?) 



Imm. c^ 6f ? . Naked skin of the forehead and throat pur- 

 plish brown or purplish black ; bill yellowish or purplish 

 brown. Yellow patch under the eye less distinct. The 

 plumes of the forehead advance in front of the eye 

 within about "4 of the base of the culmen ; on the throat 

 they advance between the rami of the mandible in a long 

 acute angle. Primaries with black tips. 



