Birds of Celebes: Ardeidae. 847 



Africa it is found as far south as the Cape of Good Hope; in Asia east to Japan 

 and south to the Malay archipelago; and in America from the Northern United 

 States do\vn to Central America" (Dresser X). 



In the Oriental Region: — India (Jerdon etc. ii); Ceylon (Legge 11); Nico- 

 bars (Davison 11); Burmah (Gates f 3); Tenasserim (Davison 9); China (Swinhoe 5, 

 f 1, David f 2, etc.); South Japan (Siebold, Pryer e 4); Formosa (Swinhoe 4); 

 Hainan (Styan 27); Philippine Is. — Luzon (Meyen 12, Steere 20), Mindanao 

 (Everett 12); Borneo (Croockewit, etc. 7, 18); Sumatra (Hagen 21, Modigliani 

 24); Banka (v. d. Bossche a 3); Java (Horsfield 7, Boie a 3, Vorderman 22); 

 Flores (Weber e 5]; North Celebes — Grorontalo Distr. (Forsten a 3, v. Eosenb. 

 g 1, Riedel 15); CaroHne Is. — Uap (Kubary .5); Sandwich Is. (Knudsen hi). 



The Common Night Heron is found in most of the warm and temperate 

 countries of the globe, excepting the Moluccas, Papuasia, Australia, New Zea- 

 land and Southern Polynesia. Celebes and Flores mark the south-eastern bounds 

 of its range as at present known in the Oriental countries. Only four specimens, 

 as Prof. W. Bias i us points out (15), are as yet known from the island — 

 apparently all from the Gorontalo District, probably Lake Limbotto. Mr. Hose 

 (28) says that it breeds at Lake Ansok, Borneo, but there is as yet nothing to 

 show whether it is a resident in Celebes or not. Some of the head-quarters 

 of the species seem to be in China and Formosa ; a wonderful account of the 

 great breeding colony at the Honam Temple, Canton, is given by Swinhoe (3), 

 and vast numbers were found by him breeding in company in Formosa. Mr. 

 Oates describes a similar condition in Burmah. Their nocturnal habits cause 

 them to be regarded with superstitious fear by the natives, and the trees round 

 the temples have become one of their favourite nesting haunts. 



A curious circumstance is related in the "Water Birds of N. America" (h 1) 

 showing the persistency with which a first impression reoccurred to and influenced 

 the movements of a tame young Night Heron. The bird had had occasion 

 three or four times to go round a cart and fly half over a heap of rubbish which 

 lay in its path; the heap was then removed, but always afterwards, when the 

 bird had to cross the spot, it did so by "making a circuit around the spot where 

 the cart had formerly stood, and in giving a flying leap over the place where 

 once the pile had previously made this necessary". Such facts should be of 

 interest to students of mental philosophy. 



The Common Night Heron is a very distinct species, easily distinguishable 

 from its congeners, N. caledonicus, manilensis and crassirostris, by its glossy green- 

 black head above and back, its dark gi-ey wings and tail, and the light grey 

 of the rest of its person. The young birds of these species are on the other 

 hand hard to discriminate. Small local variations are found in N. griseus; the 

 N. American form has been named naevius, and that found in the southern 

 countries of S. America, ohscurus. The last is on an average larger in size (h 1). 



