Birds of Celebes: Ardeidae. §43 



The Nankeen Night Heron seems to be a fairly common species in Celebes, 

 where the first specimens of which there is any record were apparently obtained 

 by Salomon Milller at Macassar in 1828. For this bird seems to be "the 

 Blue Night Heron" of which he says that it "sometimes flies around in the 

 night, making a loud rattling cry, which is often to be heard at midnight, and 

 so gives rise amongst the half barbarous people of these warm countries to all 

 sorts of sayings and omens, just as is the case among the poor and ignorant in 

 our part of the world" (d 1). The next record of its occurrence in South Celebes 

 was made by Prof Wilh. Blasius (20), a young female specimen having been 

 obtained by Dr. C. Platen at Kalibangkere, 15. June, 1878, the label of which 

 bore the tragic notice by the traveller: "Last bird of my admirable hunter 

 Rapung, who was murdered and robbed on the following morning". Then it 

 was collected by Prof. Weber at Tempe and Maros. Meanwhile the bird had 

 been obtained in the North Peninsula by Forsten, Rosenberg, Meyer, 

 Musschenbroek, and others, both in the INIinahassa and the Gorontalo District. 

 Rosenberg says he got 18 specimens at Lake Limbotto in two (separate) months' 

 collecting in 1863 — 1864. As Walden first remarked on a young specimen 

 from Meyer, the occurrence of birds in young plumage shows that the species 

 breeds in the island (North Celebes), and W. Blasius points out that Platen's 

 specimen proves this to be the case in the Southern Peninsula also. 



A slightly differentiated form of N. caledonica is found in N. crassirostris 

 Vig. of the Bonin Islands, which has, according to Seebohm (30) a stouter 

 bill (22.8 — 25.4 mm across the nostrils as against 20.3 — 22.8 in the present bird). 

 Dr. Sharp e distinguishes the two birds as subspecies. Another closely allied 

 form is Nycticorax manilensis, with the entire fore-neck, and sometimes the chin 

 and throat, of a rufous colour, the three crest-feathers tipped with black, some- 

 times entirely black, and the upper parts of a darker hue than in N. caledonicus. 

 Both occur in N. Celebes, where it seems very likely that they interbreed. 

 N. griseus is easily recognised by its back and scapulars of black glossed with 

 green, grey wings and light grey face and under parts. 



In habits, according to Gould, N. caledonicus is nocturnal, and it feeds on 

 fishes, water-lizards, crabs, frogs, leeches, insects. 



358. NYOTICORAX MANILENSIS Vig. 



Philippine Night Heron. 



Nycticorax manillensis (1) Vigors, P. Z. S. 1831, 98; (II) Fraser, Zool. Typ. Av. 1848, t. 64; 

 (3) Gray, List Grallae Br. Mus. 1844, 86; (4) id., Gen. B. m, 558 (1S47); (Vj 

 Rchb., Orn., GraUat. 1846, t. 155, f. 2391; (G) Bp., Consp. 1855, H, 140; (7) Swinh., 

 Ibis 1860, 65, 358; (8) Hartl. & Finsch, P. Z. S. 1872, 105; (9) Finsch, J. Mus. 

 Godef. 1875, VHI, 33; (10) Wald., Tr. Z. S. 1875, IX, 238; (11) Rchw., J. f. O. 

 1877, 238; (12) Tweedd., P. Z. S. 1877, 769; (13) id., lb. 1878, 288, 345; (14) id., 



106* 



