174 bulletin: museum of comparative zoology. 



nearly white toward upper breast; a dark patch on either side of 

 upper • breast, that is almost concealed by elongate feathers of neck, 

 fuscous black above changing to dccji mouse-gray below, the feathers 

 all broadly margined with pinkish butf; rest of breast and sides dull 

 cream-butl'; abilomen and under tail coverts white, very faintly 

 washed with buff; flanks honey -yellow ; axillars and under wing 

 coverts white, faintly tinged with buff; a small area of honey-yellow 

 at bend of wing on under side. Distal half of culmen brownish black; 

 rest of maxilla, except basal part of tomia, dull dark brown; base of 

 mandibles, gonys, and maxillar tomia at base pale dull brownish buff; 

 tip of mandible and sides dark dull brown; loral space dull brown; 

 eye ring somewhat paler; tarsus and toes dark, dull brown, claws 

 darker (from dried skin). 



Mcasurcvients. — Male adult {Type) wing 128.5; tail 44; culmen from 

 base 53.5; tarsus 45.2. 



Range. — Island of Uala, Truk Group, Middle Caroline Islands, 

 Polynesia. 



Ranarks. — This subspecies is based on a single specimen taken on 

 the island of Uala. The differences noted in this one bird are not 

 approached by indi\idual variation in the large series of little yellow 

 bitterns examined, so that there is no question but that the divergence 

 shown is of subspecific value. In size the type of the new form char- 

 acterized here is slightly larger than Ixobrychus sinensis astrologus 

 Wetmore (Proc. Biol. soc. Washington, 1918, 31. p. 83) recently 

 described from the Philippine Islands, and, like /. s. bryani from 

 Guam, it resembles the Philippine Island bird in color. It may be 

 distinguished from /. s. astrologus by being darker, grayer, less rufes- 

 cent on the l)ack, by having the tertials and scapulars duller and less 

 brownish, the under tail coverts whiter, and the sides of head and neck 

 brighter brown, more sharply defined from the color of the median 

 line. 



From the material at hand it is possible now to recognize the follow- 

 ing races of the little yellow bittern: — 



Ixobrychus sinensis sinensis (Gmelin) (Ardea sinensis Gmelin, 

 Syst. nat., 1789, 1, pt. 2, p. 642. China). China (Tientsin, Hankow, 

 Tung Chow, near Hongkong). 



Ixobrychus sinensis luteolus (Stejneger) (Arddta lutcola Stej- 

 neger, Proc. U. S. N. M., 1888, 10, p. 289. Wakayama, Kii, Hondo) 

 Japan (Islands of Yezo, Nippon, and Hondo). 



Ixobrychus sinensis lepidus (Horsfield) [Ardea lepida Horsfield, 

 Trans. Linn. soc. London, 1821, 13, p. 190. Java). Java (Sumatra?). 



