34 AVES. 



without hesitation, scratching and turning up the sand like an 

 old bird. Two more afterwards emerged in the same state. 

 Their eggs are held in such high estimation as food both by 

 natives and Europeans, that one cannot but fear that these 

 interesting birds, though now so abundant, will ere long be- 

 come scarce.* 



Order Grallae. 

 Fam. Ardeidse. 

 Snb-fam. Ardeina?. 

 Genus Ardea. 



Ardea purpurea. 

 „ caspica (Latham). 



Crown of the head black with a pendant crest of the same colour ; 

 chin white, sides of the head reddish fawn colour ; beak, brownish 

 yellow ; skin round the eyes bare ; a black patch springs from the 

 gape on either side, and divides itself in two, one part passing over 

 the ears to the nape, and the other extending in a line down each 

 side of the neck to the lengthened feathers at its base ; a third 

 black line runs down the back of the neck for about two-thirds of 

 its length ; above the sidal black stripes, the general colour of the 

 neck is reddish fawn, and below them dark chesnut ; back, light 

 slaty gray, with olivaceous reflections ; the colour of the back 

 reaches up the upper side of the neck about a third part of its 

 length ; the elongated scapulary feathers are chesnut at the ends ; 

 the elongated feathers at the base of the neck below, are varied with 

 white, black, fawn colour and gray, breast and belly deep rich 

 maroon, and purplish black in the centre ; the vent and tail-covers 

 are also black, the feathers of the latter part being more or less 

 white at the base ; flanks gray, lower wing-covers and shoulders 

 chesnut ; thighs chesnut ; wings and tail the same general colour 

 as the back, the quills, however, being somewhat darker. 



Length, from the crown of the head to the tip of the tail, 2 feet 

 11 inches. 



„ of bill from gape, G inches 9 lines. 



„ of bill from front, 5 inches 8 lines. 



„ of wings, 14^ inches. 



„ of tail, 5^ inches. 



„ of tarsus, 5 inches 5 lines. 



„ of middle toe, 5 inches 2 lines. 



„ of hallux, 3 inches 5 lines. 

 Outer toe longer than the inner one. 



We have only seen this bird once in Labuan ; the speci- 



• Much of the above notice of the Iiabits of the Megapodius is taken from a 

 paper read to the Zoological Society in 1851, by L. L. D. 



