DEMIEGEETTA. 3t9 



Genus DEMIEGEETTA, Blph. 



DEMIEGEETTA SACHA, Gmelin. 



Blue Eeef Heron. 



Gould, Hcmdhk. Bds. Aust., Vol. ii., sp, 555, p. 307. 22ZZE ^ 



" This species, says Mr. Macgillivray, inhabits the islands of 

 the north-east coast of Australia and Torres Straits. The nest is 

 usually placed on a tree, but on those islands where there are 

 none, such as Eaine's Islet and elsewhere, it breeds among the 

 recesses of the rocks ; where the trees are tall, as on Oomaga or 

 Keats Island the nests are placed near the summit ; on Dugong 

 Island they were placed on the root of a tree, on a low stump, or 

 halfway up a low bushy tree ; they are shallow in form eighteen 

 inches in diameter, and constructed of small sticks, lined with 

 twigs ; the eggs are two in number, and of a pale bluish-white, 

 one inch and seven-eights long by one inch and a quarter broad." 

 (Gould, Hcmdbk. Bds. Aust., Vol. ii., p. 307.) 



Specimens of the eggs of this bird in the Dobroyde Collection, 

 taken by Mr. J. A. Boyd, on the 1st of September 1879, 

 measures as follows: — length (A) 1'96 x I'SS inch; (B) l'89x 

 1-35 inch. 



Mr. E. D. Atkinson found this bird breeding on a small island 

 about an acre in extent, off the north-west coast of Tasmania on 

 the 6th of November, 1888. The nest was composed of sticks 

 and twigs, and sheltered by a rock ; it contained three eggs 

 of a pale bluish-green in a very advanced state of incubation, one 

 of which was unfortunately broken in transit, the two remaining 

 eggs measure as follows : — length (A) 1-96 x 1-4 inch ; (B) 1-95 

 X 1 "41 inch. Mr. Atkinson who flushed the female, informs me 

 that after watching it from an adjacent rock, the male who joined 

 her and flew away in company, was pure white. There were no 

 other Herons on the island. 



Hob. Port Darwin and Port Essington, Gulf of Carpentaria, 

 Cape York, Rockingham Bay, Port Denison, Wide Bay District, 

 SouAh Coast New Guinea. {Ram^say.) 



