842 
Birds of Celebes: Ardeidae. 
Zool. Erg. Weber’s Reise 1893, m, 284; (35) M. & Wg., J. f. 0. 1894, 116; (36) 
Nebrk. , t. c. 161; (37) M. & Wg., Abb. Mus. Dresd. 1896, Nr. 2, p. 20; (38) 
Hart., Nov. Zool. 1896, 181; (39) Salvad., Ann. Mus. Civ. Gen. 1896, (2) XVT, 
119; (40) Sharpe, Oat. B. 1898, XXVI, 158. 
c. Ardea ferruginea (1) Forster (nec Gm.), Descr. An. 274 (1844j. 
d. ? Nycticorax garden! (1) S. Mull, (nec Gm.), Reiz. Ind. Archip. 1858, pt. H, 8. 
e. Nyctiardea caledonica (1) Gray, HL., 1871, HI, 33, Ni’. 10172. 
f. ? Nycticorax manillensis(?) (1) Everett, J. Str. Br. R. A. S. 1889, 190. 
“Swekko pakek tjatjing”, or “Swekko mera bertjatjing”, Malay, Minahassa, Nat. Coll. 
“Condor baka”, Tjamba Distr.. Platen 20. 
“Kaloang sagu”, Banggai, Nat. poll. 
For further synonymy and references cf. Salvador! 12, 31; Sharpe 40. 
Figure and descriptions. Gould II, 3; Schlegel b 2; Salvador! 12; Buller 25; Sharpe 40. 
Adult. Head above, sides of occiput, and hind neck slaty black; three very long 
(150 — 210 mm) narrow nuchal feathers white, blackish at base; upper parts 
cinnamon -rufous, palest on the rump, darkest and strongly tinged with vinous on 
mantle, back, and scajiulars. Inclining to fawn-colour on face, eai'-coverts, sides of 
neck and of breast; chin, throat, middle of breast and under-parts white, the 
longer imder wing-coverts vinous grey or cinnamon; “bare space surrounding the eye 
greenish yellow; uides orange; bill in some specimens black, shghtly tipped with 
yeUow, in others black with a streak of greenish yellow along the lower mandible, 
and a wash of the same hue along the lower edge of the upper one; legs and feet 
jonquil-yellow; claws black”: Gould II (ad., Manado tua Id., 6. April, 1893: Nat. 
Ooll. — 0 12109). 
Young. Streaked with brown and isabelline-buff: head above blacker bro^Ti with narrow 
shaft-streaks; sides of head and neck less dark with broad buff centre-streaks; the 
streaks changing into large tenninal spots on the feathers of the back, scapulars, 
wing-coverts, rump, remiges and tail; the wing-coverts and inner remiges laterally 
vermic dated with cinnamon, tending to form bars; under-parts white, the feathers 
broadly fringed with brown except on the abdomen and under tail-coverts; “iris Hght 
yellow; bill above brown, below greenish; feet grey”: Platen 20 (juv., Manado, March, 
1871: Meyer — - 0 2009). 
Bird of second year. Intermediate between the above -described young and the adult: head 
above black; no crest; upper parts rufous brown with some obscure dark cinnamon 
spots on the scapulars; remiges greyish cinnamon-rufous, tipped with impure white, 
subterminally crossed with blackish, under-parts streaked with brown and fulvous or 
white as in the young (Manado tua Id., May, 1894; Nat. Ooll. — 0 13356). 
Measurements (4 adults: N. Celebes). Wing 287 — 305 mm; tail 105 — 111; tarsus 80 — 85; 
mid. too and claw 78 — 83; exposed cuhnen 70 — 73 mm. 
Eggs. 4 in number; pale bluish green: 50 — 55 X 37 — 40 mm (Australia; North 26, who 
gives a figure of the egg). Pale blue: 50 x 36 mm (Austraha: Nehrkorn MS.). 
Nest. “A loose structure of a few sticks placed crosswise over forks on the branches of 
trees overhanging creeks, etc.; . . . taken by (Mr. Alex. Morton from some low 
bushes on Schrapper Island, near Port Stephens” (E. P. Ramsay 26). 
Distribution. From Australia and Tasmania to New Zealand, New Caledonia and New 
Guinea, west tlmough Papuasia and the Moluccas to Celebes, Sangi Islands, North 
Borneo, Timor and the Keeling Islands. 
For exact localities cf. Salvador! 12, 31, adding Lord Howe’s Island 
(Ramsay 17), Dana Id. near Timor (Gazelle Exp. 27), Great Sangi (Platen 24), 
Djampea (Everett 38), Banggai (Nat. Coll. 37), and cancelling the New Hebrides. 
