ARDEA SPECIOSA, 
THE bird represented in the 911th Number of the Planches enluminees, and 
described by Buffon as Crabier blanc et brun, from Malacca, is also very abundant 
in Java; and various specimens are contained in the Honourable Company's Museum. 
The native name is Blekko : this is also applied to the Ardea speciosa, which is 
represented on the Plate annexed to this article, and the epithet of hhig t or black, 
is added for the sake of distinction. This bird, in its different states of plumage, 
was a frequent object of my inquiries ; and it appears, from a reference to my notes, 
that in Java I considered the Ardea malaccensis and the Ardea speciosa as specifi- 
cally different, and as such they are enumerated in my Catalogue of Birds from that 
Island. It is therefore necessary, in this place, to give a concise comparative descrip- 
tion, from the specimens which I collected. 
In the Ardea malaccensis, which exhibits the dress of the Blekko in its younger 
state, the head above, and the neck are covered with brown plumes, of a livid hue, 
which have a white or pale yellowish line along the shaft. The colour of these 
plumes is more intense on the crown of the head ; on the lower parts of tire neck, 
the longitudinal line is broader, and the neck appears marked with brown and 
yellowish streaks. In the specimens more advanced to maturity, plumes of a rufous 
colour are mixed with those that cover the head and neck. The crest is entirely 
wanting in very young subjects ; as the bird advances to maturity, it shews itself 
in a few very long, linear plumes, which have a chestnut coloured line along the 
shaft, and are bordered with brown. The back has an intense livid brown colour, 
with a blueish reflection ; this is also observed on the tips of several of the secondary 
remiges. As the bird further passes to maturity, the plumes covering the anterior 
portions of the neck also gradually assume a chestnut tint, inclining to rufous. An 
indication of this tint also shews itself on the breast. The throat, the lower part of 
the breast, the abdomen, the wings, and the tail, are pure white. The feet and the 
upper mandible, throughout its whole length, are black. The irides are intensely 
yellow. 
In the Ardea speciosa, which represents the Blekko in its complete dress, the 
head above, and the adjoining portions of the neck, in its entire circumference, are 
Isabella yellow, with a rufous tint ; this becomes more intense on the lower parts of 
the neck: on the long lax plumes which cover the neck before and behind, the 
breast, and the anterior part of the abdomen, the colour is chestnut, with a rufous, 
slightly ferruginous hue. The colour of the back is intensely black, with a faint 
livid blue reflection when exposed to the light The scapulars, and the tips of the 
