Birds of Celebes: Ardeidae. 
815 
white; a blackish plait-like stripe down the middle of fore-neck for ca. '/3 its length; 
breast and under-parts smoke grey, with a fulvous tint on the abdomen, most of 
the feathers with white shaft-streaks; “iris gold-yellow” (P.& F. Sarasin); legs and 
feet in the skin leaden blackish, bill blackish, the tip, under surface and base of 
lower mandible yellowish (ad., Banka Id., Minahassa, 20. V. 93: ifat. Coll. — 
0 12117). 
Immature. Browner and less dark slaty than the adult; the lanceolate whitish feathers of 
the occipital crest and lower neck httle developed, only one or two present on the 
scapulars; wing-coverts fulvous brown; neck and under-parts fulvous brown, varied 
with slaty and with white centre-streaks (juv., Banka, 16. V. 93: Nat. Coll. — 0 12118). 
ments. 
Wing 
0 
Tail 
Tarsus 
Middle 
toe with 
claw 
Exp. 
culmen 
a. (C 12117) ad., Banka Id., 20. V. 93 (Nat. Coll.) . 
500 
185 
175 
125 
174 
h. (C 14145) ad., Lembeli Id., 10. HI. 95 (!!d.) . . 
495 
190 
168 
120 
168 
c. (Sarasin Coll.) v!x ad., near Lembeli Id., 27. VII. 92 
455 
165 
165 
115 
160 
d. (C 885) ad., Siao (Meyer) 
475 
185 
160 
115 
170 
e. (C 12629) vix ad., Siao, July 93 (Nat. Coll.) . . 
470 
170 
165 
120 
167 
f. (C 12118) juv., Banka, 16. V. 93 (iid.) .... 
460 
160 
158 
120 
155 
Eggs and nest. “The nest observed by Gilbert was built in an upright fork of a large and 
lofty Mehleuca at about eighty feet from the ground, and was formed of an outer 
layer of very strong sticks, with a few small twigs as a lining, and contained two 
eggs of a light ash-grey” (Gould b II, 2). 
Distribution. Arrakan (Blyth J2); Tenasserim (Davison 7); Cochin China (Tiraud 12)-, 
Malay Peninsxda (Hume 8, Kelham 10]', Sumatra (Baffles 1, Hagen 26)', Bilhton 
(Brit. Mus. 33); N. Borneo (Everett, etc. 22); Palawan (Whitehead 19, Platen 
20); Sangi Is. — Siao (Meyer 15, 20, Nat. Coll.); Celebes: — (Beinwardt a 2), 
Banka Id. and Lembeh Id. (Nat. Coll.), Minahassa (P.&F. Sarasin 32), Gorontalo 
Distr. {Rosenberg a 3, a 4, c 2, Biedel a, 77); Java (Vorderman a ff); Flores 
(Wallace 11); Timor (S. Muller 77); Timorlaut (H. 0. Forbes 73, 14); Moluccas — 
Morty, Halmahera, Batchian (fide Salvador! 77); Goram (Wallace 33); Papuasia 
Waigiou (Platen 16), New Guinea, Mysore, Aru (fide Salvador! 77); North & 
East Austraha (Gould 2, Bamsay 7S). 
In the long list of Herons occurring in Celebes the present species is easily 
recognised by its great size, and by its general coloration of slate-grey, with 
asby white hackle-feathers in the occipital crest, on the neck and jugulum and 
among the scapulars. Its nearest affinities are with Ardea affinis Hodgs. of the 
inland parts of N. India below the Himalayas, and N. Burmah; this form, as 
shown by Mr. Hume (7), differs in having the under-parts white (not dark grey), 
and in other points. Davison found Ardea sumatrana about the sea-coast and 
the mouths of the large creeks and rivers in South Tenasserim; Kelham de- 
scribes it as plentiful among the jheels and paddy-swamps of Perak; it seems 
not to wander far inland from the sea-coast, and in N. Celebes, judging from 
the number of specimens examined by us, it would seem to be more plentiful 
on the small islands off the coast than elsewhere. Its food was ascertained by 
Davison to be small fish, crabs, etc. 
1 Measured over the wing. When measured straight under the wing the length is about 30 mm less. 
