276 Mr. W. R. Ogilvie-Grant on Birds 



The leugth of the bill, on which Mr. Mathews has dis- 

 tinguished two subspecies in Australia, is a sexual character 

 [c/. Birds Austr. iii. p. 384 (1914)]:— 



S adult. Bill 167 mm. 



S imm. „ 171, 172 mm, 



? adult. „ 129 mm. 



? imm. ,, 103 mm. 



Family ARDEID^E. 

 *Notophoyx picata. 



Notoplioyx picata (Gould) ; Sharpe, Cat. xxvi. p. 112 

 (1898) ; van Oort, p. 53 (1909). 



Obtained at Merauke. 



N. aruensis Gray is said to be the immature of A^. picata, 

 but this has been denied by Sharpe (op. cit. p. 113). 



Egretta alba timoriensis. 



Uerodias timoriensis (Lesson) ; Sharpe, Cat. xxvi. pp. 98, 

 270 (1898). 



Herodias alba timoriensis van Oort, p. 53 (1909). 



a. ? imm. Kamura River, 17th May, 1910. [No. 1153, 



G. c. s:\ 



h. (J imm. Launch Camp, Setakwa River, 4th Oct. 1912. 

 [C.B.IQ 



c. Ad. (in full breeding-plumage). Canoe Camp, Setakwa 

 River, 14th Nov. 1912. [C. B. K.'] 



a. Total length in the flesh 92 cm. (o3| inches) ; wing 

 318 mm. ; tarsus 138. Iris pale lemon ; bill dull orange ; 

 lores dull greenish ; legs dusky black. 



h. Wing 365 mm. ; tarsus 165. Lns lemon ; facial skin 

 yellowish-green ; bill gamboge-yellow ; feet black. 



c. Wing 368 mm. ; tarsus 162. Iris pale yellow ; orbital 

 skin greenish ; bill deep ochre ; feet black, back of the legs 

 yellowish-green. This bird is in full breeding-plumage. 

 The train extends 76 mm. beyond the end of the tail. 



Some interesting notes on the colour of the bill in Aus- 

 tralian examples of the Great White Heron, supplied by 

 Messrs. Mattingley and Cole [cf. Mathew's Birds Austral, iii. 

 pp. 432-4 (1914)], show that birds in breeding-plumage may 



