828 
Birds of Celebes: Ardeidae. 
The Black-billed Egret has not yet been recorded as breeding in Celebes, 
but it occurs there in summer as well as in winter, and we have it in almost 
perfect breeding plumage. In China it is a partial migrant, but its movements 
seem to be of a somewhat local character; in South Japan it is, according to 
Seebohm, a resident. In some portions of India it is described as a resident, 
in others it is not stationary. From Dresser’s investigations it appears to be 
a summer visitor to most of the places in South Europe where it is found, but 
it is known to winter in Albania and Epirus; in Northern Africa it is generally 
a resident, though only a spring and autumn bird of passage in some parts. 
According to Schlegel (a 3) this Egret is a trifle smaller in tropical Asia than 
in Europe, the toes and claws are blackish and the base of the bill often 
yellowish. The last is a sign of non-breeding; as to size it appears from the 
measurements of Dresser compared with those given above that the tarsus is 
on an average slightly shorter in the East than in the West. The birds of Java, 
Borneo and Celebes received the name Ardea nigripes from Temminck. 
Dr. Sharpe (11) admits H. nigripes as a good species, drawing the line of 
geographical separation between it and H. garzetta at Celebes and Java as the 
furthest bounds of the former species, and the Philippines, Borneo and Sumatra 
as the furthest of H. garzetta. Without denying that the bird tends to get blacker 
feet in the direction of Australia, we are unable to follow Dr. Sharpe in drawing 
this clear line of geographical demarkation and think it better to treat of all 
individuals as belonging to one species. But if two “species” be made of them, 
the geographical dividing line may certainly be as well fixed where Dr. Sharpe 
has drawn it, as anywhere else. 
In America this Egret is represented by H. candidissima (Gm.), in which 
the two crest-feathers of H. garzetta are replaced by a number of long decom- 
posed fibrous feathers , and the lanceolate jugular feathers are similarly replaced 
by decomposed ones. For this reason Dr. Sharjje (Ibis 1894, 432) separates 
the American bird generically (Leucophogx)-, and again he allows H. garzetta to 
stand as a genus Garzetta distinct from Herodias on account of its longer and 
slenderer bill, which exceeds the length of the middle toe and claw. Few orni- 
thologists will admit that a slight modification of some of the decorative feathers 
of a Heron (which are cast ofF after the breeding season) should warrant its 
exclusion from the old genus, and we cannot cease to regard the American 
Little Egret as a brother — in truth a little more highly differentiated — of 
the Old World form. As to Herodias it would appear from Dr. Sharpe’s re- 
marks that its bill does not exceed the middle toe and claw in length, but just 
the opposite is the case in all specimens of Herodias alba, (with its Eastern form 
iorra) which we have examined. We fail to see what end is served by con- 
cealing the affinities of allied forms, such as these white Egrets prove to be, 
under separate generic appellations; at the most the name Garzetta should be 
employed for H. garzetta as a subgeneric term not for common use, its differences 
