Birds of Celebes: Ardeidae. 



S37 



plumes of which extend to the end of the tail and beyond it; in other respects wliite 

 as when not breeding; "tibia yellow" (Legge); tarsus pale, becoming black towards 

 the foot; bill as in winter (ad. Lake Tondano, Aug.— Sept. 92: Nat. Coll. — 10975). 



Female. Appears to be smaller than the male. 



Measurements (12 apparently adult birds from the Celebesian area). Wing 232—265 mm; 

 tail c. 80—100; tarsus 79 — 90; middle toe with claw c. 75 — 83; exposed culmen 

 56—62. 



Eggs. "The East-Indian eggs of my collection are paler than the ordinary Heron eggs and 

 measure 45 X 35 mm" (Nehrkorn MS.). 



Hume finds them distinguishable as a body from all the other Indian Herons' 

 eggs by their very pale colour: white, with a faint blue or green tinge ; varying much 

 in size and shape, but ty^Dically rather broad ovals, somewhat pointed towards 

 one end (32). 



Nest. Of sticks, built in trees, often in company with those of other White Egrets (32). In 

 Celebes they nest in the reeds, laying two or three eggs (Meyer 6). 



Distribution. South Japan (Pryer, etc. d S); Fonnosa (Swinhoe e 2); S. E. Siberia — • Ussuri- 

 land (Kalinowski 3S); Central and South China (Swinhoe, David, etc. e 7, 5, .5.3, 

 36); West China or Tibet (Bonvalot & D'Orleans d 9); Caspian Sea (fide 

 ScL & Saund. 18); India (Jerdon, etc. e 3, 7, 32); Ceylon (Legge, etc. 7); Burmah 

 (Gates 73); Tenasserim (Davison e 4); Cochin China (Giglioli 17, Gates 13); Danger 

 Id. off Siam (Conrad d 3j; Andamans (Davison 4); Malay Penins. — Salanga and 

 Perak (Hartert 2.5); Sumatra (Bock 9, H. 0. Forbes, etc. 12, 20, 31, 3.5); Java 

 (Horsfield, S. Miiller, etc. .9, d 2, 15); Sumba (Riedel^r 7, ,97); Timor (Wallace 9); 

 Borneo (Doria & Beccari, etc. 3, 24, 28); Philippine Is. (Jagor, etc. 8, .9, 21, 22, 

 24, 29, 40, 42); Talaut Is. — Kabruang (Nat. Coll. 41); Sangi Is. — Gt. Sangi 

 (Meyer 14, 22); Celebes: — Minahassa (Meyer, etc. 2, 6, d 4, 45), Gorontalo 

 (v. Rosenb. 6, 7), S. Peninsula — Tjamba and Maros Waterfall (Platen 16), Tanette 

 (Weber 38), Bulekomba (Everett 46); Saleyer (id.); Buru, Ternate, Batchian (fide 

 Salvad 9, 34); ? Italy (Giglioli 17); Shoa in Abyssinia (Traversi 23^'''). 



The Cattle Egret is to be seen in flocks in North Celebes, where, as else- 

 where, it is remarkable for its habit of perching on the backs of horses and 

 cattle (6). To these it is a welcome guest, for the ticks, which infest their 

 hides, together with flies, maggots, etc., form part of its food. Legge remarks, 

 however, that its position on the backs of the animals seems to be one of rest, 

 for he has never seen it take anything when so seated, though he has ob- 

 served it at other times, picking ticks from the animals' legs. Besides the 

 food above mentioned Legge adds that it devours grasshoppers, beetles, bugs 

 (Hemiptera), locusts, frogs. Crustacea; it feeds '"but, rarely, I think, on fish". A 

 great difference between it and the White Egrets, which it so much resembles 

 in general appearance, is to be seen in its food and habits. 



Its numbers in Celebes are probably much increased by migration from 

 the north during the winter. 



Although the proper range of this species seems to be India and China 

 down to Timor and the Moluccas, it has been recorded by Sclater & Saunders 

 from the shores of the Caspian Sea (collector's name not mentioned], and by 

 Giglioli from Abyssinia, and even from Italy. 



