HERODIONES. 223 



axillaries, and is otherwise similar to N. caledonica, except that the 

 height of the bill at the nostrils varies from I'O to "9 (instead of from 

 •9 to "8) inches. 



The Bonin Night-Heron was discovered by Kittlitz in 1828, but 

 he identified it with the Australian species ; and when he recorded 

 it in 1833 (Kittlitz, Kupfertafeln zur Naturgescbichte der Vogel, 

 pt. iii. p. 27) he called it Ardea caledonica. It had, however, been 

 discovered in 1827 by Captain Beechey during the voyage of the 

 'Blossom,' but the zoological results of this voyage were not published 

 until 1839, when the Bonin Night-Heron was named Nycticorax 

 crassirostris. Vigors's type was placed in the Museum of the Zoolo- 

 gical Society, and was transferred to the British Museum, where it 

 now is, all statements (Walden, Trans. Zool. Soc. ix. p. 238) to the 

 contrary notwithstanding. 



The only other example known to exist is one in my collection, 

 which was procured by Mr. Hoist on Nakoudo-Shima, one of the 

 Parry Islands (Seebohm, Ibis, 1890, p. 106). 



209. NYCTICORAX GOISAGI. 



(JAPANESE NIGHT-HERON.) 



Nycticorax goisagi, Temminck, Planches Colorizes, no. 582 (1835). 



The Japanese Night- Heron is a medium-sized species (wing from 

 carpal joint 10 to 10^ inches) . It has dark grey quills tipped with 

 chestnut, a stout decurVed bill, and barred axillaries. 



Figures : Temminck and Schlegel, Fauna Japonica, Aves, pi. 70. 



The Japanese Night-Heron, or, as it is sometimes called, the Japanese 

 Tiger-Bittern, is peculiar to Japan and Formosa. There are six ex- 

 amples in the Pryer collection from Yokohama ; and Mr. Dresser has 

 seven examples procured in the same locality by Mr. Owston. There 

 are examples in the Tweeddale collection and in the Norwich Museum 

 obtained by Mr. Ringer from Nagasaki, whence those obtained by 

 Dr. Siebold were probably also procured. It is very closely allied to 

 the Malayan Night-Heron, Nycticorax melanolophus, a species which 

 ranges from Southern India (Bourdillon, Stray Feathers, vii. p. 525), 

 Ceylon, the Nicobar Islands (Hume, Stray Feathers, ii. p. 312), the 

 Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Java, Borneo, the Philippine Islands, to 

 Formosa (Buttikofer, Notes from the Leyden Museum, 1887, p. 81), 



