collected in Dutch New Guinea. 277 



have the bill black, yellow tipped with black, or yellow. It 

 may be that -E. a. tiinoriensis has the bill black in the 

 breeding-season in very old birds ; but the evidence afforded 

 by the specimens detailed above does not support this view, 

 but agrees with Sharpens conclusions in the ' Catalogue ' (op. 

 cit.), specimen c, a bird in full breeding-plumage, having the 

 bill uniform deep ochre. According to Mr. Cole's observa- 

 tions on Australian birds, the change from a yellow to a black 

 bill takes place slowly, commencing at the end of December. 

 " The eastern form of the large White Heron was seen in 

 small numbers on all the rivers. It was very shy, and was 

 fond of perching on some conspicuous tree-top where to 

 approach within shot was out of the question. Both in flight 

 and habits it resembles the other Egrets." — C. H. B. G. 



Nycticorax caledonicus. 



Nycticorax caledonicus (Gmel.) ; Sharpe, Cat. xxvi. p. 158 

 (1898) ; van Oort, p. 54 (1909). 



a. S . Parimau, Mimika River, 12th Nov. 1910. [No. 

 1498, G.C.S.I. 



Iris deep yellow ; eyelid, orbital skin, and skin at the base 

 of mandible yellowish-green ; bill black, a narrow irregular 

 line on the upper mandible and the basal part of the lower 

 mandible green ; feet pale dusky ochre-yellow. 



Total length in the flesh 625 mm. ( = 25 inches). Wing 

 290 mm. 



A fine adult with the white occipital plumes partially 

 grown. 



Butorid.es stagnatilis. 



Butorides stagnatilis (Gould) ; Sharpe, Cat. xxvi. p. 183 

 (1898). 



Butorides javanica stagnatilis van Oort, p. 54 (1909). 



a. ^ . Launch Camp, Setakwa Hiver, 16th Oct. 1912. 

 IC.B.K.'\ 



Iris brown ; orbital skin greenish-yellow ; bill black, 

 lighter at the base ; feet brownish-yellow. 



This is a fine adult specimen in full plumage, with the 

 whole of the underparts including the sides of the head and 



