Northern Portion of the Malay Peninsula, 15 



30. Demiegretta sacra. 



Demiegretta sacra (Gmel.) ; Sharpe, torn. cit. p. 137. 



The Reef- Heron is common tlironghont the coasts of the 

 Malay Peninsnla where the shore is of rock or sand, but 

 appears to avoid the mangroves and mud-flats. All the 

 specimens that we have secured are in the grey phase of 

 plumage. 



-f- 32. GORSACHIUS MELA.VOLOPHI'S. 



Gorsachius melanolophus (Raffles) ; Sharpe, torn. cit. 

 p. 166. 



This Bittern is very sparingly distributed throughout the 

 Peninsula, though its comparative rarity in collections there- 

 from is probably due to its nocturnal habits. We are inclined 

 to think that the species is at least partially migratory, and 

 the majority of the few specimens that have passed through 

 our hands were obtained in the winter months. Most 

 of our material was secured actually on the coast or on 

 small islands in the Straits of Malacca, but the Trang 

 collection contains an immature female from Ko Khau, at 

 some considerable distance inland. 



-^ 33. BUTORIDES JAVAXICA. 



Butorides javanica (Horsf.); Sharpe, tom. cit. p. 177. 

 Abundant everywhere on the coast and on the tidal 

 estuaries, wherever there are mangroves. 



-f 34. ArDEOLA BACCHUS. 



Ardeola bucckus (Bp.) ; Sharpe, tom. cit. p. 211, 

 A male Pond-Heron, indubitably of this species, was 

 obtained on Pulau Langkawi in March 1909, and Pond- 

 Kerons were also abundant in Trang on the flooded rice- 

 fields in December and January. All the specimens obtained 

 were, however, in winter plumage, in which stage it is 

 almost impossible to separate the two species A. grayi 

 and A. bacchus, whose ranges overlap in the northern Malay 

 Peninsula. The genus is extremely rare in the south, 

 though a specimen of A. grayi is in the British Museum 



