Ornithologists' Club. 427 



[N. obsciirus, auct.), was found in tlie Magellan Straits, north- 

 ward to Central Chili. Its place was taken in Peru by another 

 species, closely allied to .N. nycticora.v, which would have 

 to bear the unwieldy name of iV, tayazu-guira of Vieillot, 

 founded on the " Garza tayazu-guira ^' of Azara. This 

 species ranged from Peru to the province of Tarapaca in 

 Northern Chili, through Bolivia to Southern Brazil and 

 Argentina, and then re-occurred in the Falkland Islands, 

 where N. cyanocephalus might have been expected. 



Of the species of Ardeir alius, Dr. Sharpe characterized a 

 new form as 



ArDEIRALLUS NESOPHILUS, Sp. U. 



Similis A. melmii, sed abdomine schistaceo, gutture et prse- 

 pectore pauUulura rufescenti-brunneo marmoratis dis- 

 tinguendus. Long, tot. 22 poll., alse 8'2. 



Hab. in insula " Duke of York " dicta. 



The species of Ardeirallus are apparently four in number. 

 A. flavicollis, which breeds in the Eastern Narra, Sind, occurs 

 again in the Wynaad, Travancore, and Ceylon, and is widely 

 distributed in Central and Southern China, west to India, 

 and south to the Malayan countries to Java, Borneo, and 

 Celebes. A. gouldi is confined to Australia and New 

 Guinea. A. melas to the Molucca islands (Halmahera, 

 Batchian, Morotai, and Bourou), extending to the Sanghir 

 group, and it is probably the species of Amboina. A. neso- 

 philus appears to be confined to Duke of York Island and 

 New Britain. 



Dr. Sharpe then referred to Ardea purpurea, which was 

 shown to consist of two distinct forms with a separate and 

 distinct geographical distribution. The eastern form would 

 have to bear the name of Ardea maniUensis of Meyen — an 

 unsatisfactory title, as the species is not confined to the 

 Philippines, but is spread over the Indian Region from Sind 

 to Ceylon and eastwards to the Burmese countries and 

 Southern China, south to the Malayan Peninsula and islands, 

 as far as Celebes. '^£ me A. purpurea inhabits Central and 

 Southern Eiirope and Asia, as far east as Western Turkestan, 



2g2 



