II 



854 



Birds of Celebes: Ardeidae. 



GENUS ARDETTA G.R.Gray. 



The Little Bitterns are about the size of a Turtle Dove. The bill is long 

 and slender, slightly serrated; the tail short, about as long as the tarsus and 

 consists of 10 feathers; the toes and claws slender; the tarsus covered with trans- 

 verse shields in front and behind, or covered behind with large polygonal scales. 

 No ornamental dorsal plumes. The scaling of the tarsus and the small tail 

 of 1 feathers serve to distinguish them from Butorides. Their nearer affinities 

 are with Botaurus, which differs in the characters pointed out below (p. 856). 



-^362. ARDETTA SINENSIS (Gm.). 

 Little Yellow Bittern. 



a. Ardea sinensis (1) Gm., S.N. 1788, I, 642 (ex Latham); (II) Gray & Hardwicke, HI. 

 Ind. Zool. 1830—34, I, pi. 66, f. 2; (3) Schlegel, Mus. P.-B., Ardeae, 1863, 40 



(4) Briigg., Abh. Ver. Bremen 1876, V, 97; (5) Rosenb., Malay. Archip. 1878, 278 

 h. Ardea lepida (1) Horsf., Tr. L. S. 1821, Xm, 190; (2) Rosenb., Zool. Garten 1881, 167 

 Ardetta sinensis (1) Gray, List Grallae Br. Mus. 1844, 83; (2) Wald., Tr. Z. S. 1872, YTTT, 



99; (3) Meyer, J. f. O. 1873, 405; (4) Salvadori, Cat. Ucc. Borneo 1874, 354 



(5) David & Oust., Ois. Chine 1877, 448; (6) Hume & Davis., Str. F. 1878, VI 

 484; (7) Legge, B.Ceylon 1880, 1156; (8) Salvadori, Orn. Pap. 1882, III, 363 

 (9) Kelham, Ibis 1882, 196; (10) W. Bias., J. f. O. 1883, 140; (11) Gates, B. Br, 

 Burmah 1883, H, 257; (12) Guillem., P. Z. S. 1885, 274, 561, 665; (13) Vorderm. 

 K T. Ned. Ind. 1885, XLIV, 238; (14) Salvad., Ann. Mus. Civ. Gen. 1886, (2) IV 

 563; (15) Stejn., Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. 1887, X, 289; (16) Everett, J. Str. Br. R^ 

 A. S. 1889, 190; (17) Sh. & Whitehd., Ibis 1890, 148; (17'''^) Heine & Rchnw. 

 Norn. Mus. Hein. 1890, 308; (18) Gates, ed. Hume's Nests & Eggs 1891, HI, 255 

 (19) Salvad., Orn. Pap. Agg. 1891, 206; (20) id., Ann. Mus. Civ. Gen. 1891, (2) XH, 

 77; (21) Styan, Ibis 1891, 329, 492; (22) Wiglesworth, Av. Polyn. 1892, 68 

 (23) De La Touche, Ibis 1892, 489; (24) Tacz., Faun. Orn. Sib. Orient. 1893, H, 

 988; (25) Sharpe, Ibis 1894, 258, 425; (26) Bns. & Worces., B. & M. Menage 

 Exped. 1894, 32; (27) M. & Wg., Abh. Mus. Dresd. 1895, Nr.8, p. 19; (28) Sharpe, 

 Cat. B. 1898, XXVI, 227. 



c. Ardeola sinensis (1) Bp., Consp. Av. 1855, H, 133; (2) Oust., Bull. S. Phdom. 1878, 187. 



d. Botaurus sinensis (1) Rchnw., J. f. 0. 1877, 244; (2) Seebohm, B. Japan 1890, 227. 

 "Swekko burik ketjil", Malay, Tondano, Nat. Coll. 



"Pokok werreng okie". Tondano, iid. 



For further synonymy and references cf. Oustalet c 2\ Salvadori S, 19; Sharpe 28. 



Figure and descriptions. Gray &, Hardwicke a II; Legge 7; Salvadori S; Gates 11; 

 Vorderman 13; Stejneger 15; Taczanowski 24; Sharpe 28. 



Adult. [(J'] Head above black, the feathers of forehead edged with brown, those of nape 

 lengthy; upper parts isabelline-olive, chestnut on lower hind neck and shoulders, more 

 drab-brown on scapulars, deep buff on wing-coverts; primary-coverts, remiges 

 and tail-feathers black; upper tail-coverts slaty; under surface buff, with a pink 

 tint on breast, face and ear-coverts; throat, under wing-coverts, axillaries, and longest 

 under tail-coverts white; lateral pectoral feathers with broad blackish brown centres 

 (ad., C 10984, Aug.— Sept. 92: Tondano neighbourhood — Nat. Coll.). 



