VERTEBRATE FAUNA OF HOUTMAN'S ABROLHOS. 475 



Heteroscelus incanus brevipes (Vieillot). Grey-ramped Sandpiper. 



A specimen in the W.A. Museum was obtained on the Abrolhos by 

 Lipfert in the summer of 1894. 



Actitis hypoleucus auritus (Latham). Common Sandpiper. 

 A specimen in the W.A. Museum was obtained on the Abrolhos by 

 Lipt'ert in the summer of 1804. 



Glottis nebularius glottotdes (Vigors). Greenshank. 

 A. specimen in the W.A. Museum was obtained on the Abrolhos by 

 Lipfert in the summer of 1894. 



PlSOBIA MINUTA ruficollis (Pallas). Little Stint. 



Frequent, especially about the Wallaby Islands. Recorded by Gilbert and 

 Campbell. Four specimens shot by Lipfert in the summer of 1894 are in 

 the W.A. Museum. 



Erolu ferruginea Cihinensis (Gray). Curlew-Sandpiper. 

 Seen on the shores of West Wallaby Island. Recorded by Campbell. 

 A specimen from the Abrolhos is in the W.A. Museum. 



Anteliotringa tenujrostris (Florsfield). Great Knot. 



A specimen obtained by Lipfert on the Abrolhos in the summer of 1894 is 

 in the W.A. Museum. 



No doubt this list of wading birds would be enlarged by further collecting, 

 as several other species commonly found in South- West Australia during the 

 summer must visit the Abrolhos at times. 



Ardeiformes. 



ARDEIDi. 



Demigretta sacra cooktowni, Mathews. Reef-Heron. 



Seen on the reefs at North Island, one of the Pigeon Islands, Rat Island, 

 Wooded Island, and Pelsart Island. Two nests were found on Wooded ' 

 Island, in both cases situated on a ledge of rock behind a bush under an 

 overhanging cliff at the edge of a lagoon. One nest was empty, the other 

 contained two fresh eggs. All the birds were blue, except one of a pair seen 

 Hying together at North Island which was white. To my mind the evidence 

 points to these two forms being an example of dimorphism within the species, 

 and I am therefore using the well-known name of sacra for the species. It 

 was rejected by Mathews as having been applied to an intermediate form 

 which he regards as a hybrid, but whether the two forms are distinct species 

 or not, I think the evidence is clear that a true Mendelian segregation occurs 



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