APPENDIX A 293 



FAMILY IB ID ID. E — IBISES. 



The Eastern form of the Sacred Ibis [Ihis sticiipcnnis) 

 was met with at the mouth of the Mimika. It is easily 

 distinguished from its western all}^ by having the inner- 

 most secondaries mottled with black and white. 



FAMILY ARDEIDJ: — HERONS. 



Several different species of Herons were procured in- 

 cluding the Night Heron [Nycticorax caledonica) ; the 

 Yellow-necked Heron (Dupctov flavicollis) ; the White 

 Heron (Hevodias timoriensis) ; and a Tiger-Bittern 

 (Tigrisoma heliosylus). The last named is a very fine bird 

 with the general colour above black boldly barred with 

 rufous and buff ; the under-parts buff barred on the neck 

 and chest with black. The feathers on the neck and 

 chest are very long and broad and no doubt form a most 

 imposing ruff when the bird is displaying. 



FAMILIES CEDICNEMID.E, CHARADRIID.E AND LARID^E — • 

 STONE-PLOVERS, PLOVERS, AND GULLS 



A number of small wading birds were also procured 

 near the mouth of the river, and two species of Terns, 

 but as all belong to well-known, widely distributed species, 

 there is no special interest attaching to them. I may 

 however mention that the great Australian Curlew 

 (Numenius cyanopus), and the large Australian Thicknee 

 {Esacus magnirostris) were among the species found at 

 the mouth of the Mimika. 



FAMILY RALLID^E — RAILS. 



The only Rail met with was an example of Rallina 

 tricolor which has the head, neck and chest bright chest- 

 nut, and the rest of the plumage dark brown with white 

 bars on the wing-feathers. It is also met with in some 

 of the Papuan Islands and in North-eastern Australia. 



