ARDEA SPECIOSA. 



The bird represented in the 911th Number of the Planches enluminees, and 

 described by BufFon as Crabier hlanc et brun, from Malacca, is also very abundant 

 in Java; and various specimens are contained in the Honourable Company's Museum. 

 The native name is Blekko : this is also applied to the Ardea speciosa, which is 

 represented on the Plate annexed to this article, and the epithet of ireng, or black, 

 is added for the sake of distinction. This bird, in its different states of plumage, 

 was a frequent object of my inquiries; and it appears, from a reference to my notes, 

 that in Java I considered the Ardea malaccensis and the Ardea speciosa as specifi- 

 cally different, and as such they are enumerated in my Catalogue of Birds from that 

 Island. It is therefore necessary, in this place, to give a concise comparative descrip- 

 tion, from the specimens which I collected. 



In the Ardea malaccensis, which exhibits the dress of the Blekko in its younger 

 state, the head above, and the neck are covered with brown plumes, of a livid hue, 

 which have a white or pale yellowish line along the shaft. The colour of these 

 plumes is more intense on the crown of the head ; on the lower parts of the neck, 

 the longitudinal line is broader, and the neck appears marked with brown and 

 yellowish streaks. In the specimens more advanced to maturity, plumes of a rufous 

 colour are mixed with those that cover the head and neck. The crest is entirely 

 wanting in very young subjects ; as the bird advances to maturity, it shews itself 

 in a few very long, linear plumes, which have a chestnut coloured line along the 

 shaft, and are bordered with brown. The back has an intense livid brown colour, 

 with a blueish reflection ; this is also observed on the tips of several of the secondary 

 remiges. As the bird further passes to maturity, the plumes covering the anterior 

 portions of the neck also gradually assume a chestnut tint, inclining to rvifous. An 

 indication of this tint also shews itself on the breast. The throat, the lower part of 

 the breast, the abdomen, the wings, and the tail, are pure white. The feet and the 

 upper mandible, throughout its whole length, are black. The irides are intensely 

 yellow. 



In the Ardea speciosa, which represents the Blekko in its complete dress, the 

 head above, and the adjoining portions of the neck, in its entire circumference, are 

 Isabella yellow, with a rufous tint ; this becomes more intense on the lower parts of 

 the neck : on the long lax plumes, which cover the neck before and behind, the 

 breast, and the anterior part of the abdomen, the colour is chestnut, with a rufous, 

 slightly ferruginous hue. The colour of the back is intensely black, with a faint 

 livid blue reflection when exposed to the light. The scapulars, and the tips of the 



