NO. 1197. BIRDS FROM MADAGASCAR— OBERHOLSER. 237 



Family PLATALEID^E. 



PLATALEA ALBA Scopoli. 

 Platalea alba Scopoli^ Del. Flor. et Faun. lusubr., II, 1786, p. 92. 

 One adult from "between the two forests," East Madagascar. 



Family AEDEID.F. 



ARDETTA PODICEPS (Bonaparte). 



Ardeola podiceps Bonaparte, Cousp. Avium, II, 1855, p. 134. 

 Ardetta podiceps Gurney, Ibis, 1863, p. 330. 



One specimen from "between the two forests," East Madagascar, 

 taken in September, 1895. It is ajiparently an immature male, for the 

 lower parts are rufous, sparsely streaked with dark brown, the wings 

 and scapulars much mixed with rufous and chestnut. 



ARDEOLA XANTHOPODA (Hartlaub) . 



Ardea xanthopoda Hartlaub, Journ. f. Orn., 1860, p. 166 (from the Pelzeln man- 

 uscript). 



One adult specimen in breeding plumage, from "between the two 

 forests," East Madagascar, taken in September, 1894. 



Whether or not the present individual is identical with that men- 

 tioued by Dr. Sharpe^ as being different from Ardeola idw, but proba- 

 bly the same as Garzetta garzetta^ it is certainly not true Ardeola idee, 

 nor can it by any means be referred to Oarzetta garzetta, but it agrees 

 perfectly with Hartlaub'S original description of Ardea xanthopoda.^ 

 It differs from Ardeola idw, with which it has heretofore generally been 

 confounded, chieily in being almost pure white; from Garzetta garzetta 

 it may be distinguished by the following characters, several of which, 

 it will be noticed, may be regarded as generic : Bill shorter and pro- 

 portionately stouter, the black tip sharply defined from the light base; 

 whole foot very much shorter, and yellowish, not black; plumes of 

 breast entirely decomposed, not lanceolate; head and hind neck 

 strongly suffused with ochraceous, not pure white. It is therefore 

 evident that Dr. Sharpe has insufficient grounds for synonymizing 

 Ardea xanthopoda with Garzetta garzetta,^ Captain Shelley being con- 

 sequently right in his opinion of its distinctness.* 



A description of this specimen is as follows: Entirely pure white, the 

 head and cervix washed with ochraceous, this deepest on the forehead, 

 gradually disappearing posteriorly; two of the innermost secondaries 

 dull brown, their broad shaft stripes pale yellowish; a few black 

 streaks on the sides of the occiput ; ornamental plumes of wholly decom- 



i Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., XXVI, 1898, p. 207. 



2iciem., p. 207. 



"Idem., p. 272. 



■»List Birds Africa, I, 1896, p. 157. 



