Birds of Celebes: Ardeidae. 
843 
The Nankeen Night Heron seems to be a fairly common species in Celebes, 
where the first specimens of which there is any record were apparently obtained 
by Salomon M filler at Macassar in 1828. For this bird seems to be “the 
Blue Night Heron” of which he says that it “sometimes flies around in the 
night, making a loud rattling cry, which is often to be heard at midnight, and 
so gives rise amongst the half barbarous people of these warm countries to all 
sorts of sayings and omens, just as is the case among the poor and ignorant in 
our part of the world” (d 1 ). The next record of its occurrence in South Celebes 
was made by Prof. Wilh. Blasius (20), a young female specimen having been 
obtained by Dr. C. Platen at Kalibangkere, 15. June, 1878, the label of which 
bore the tragic notice by the traveller: “Last bird of my admirable hunter 
Eapung, who was murdered and robbed on the following morning”. Then it 
was collected by Prof. Weber at Tempe and Maros. Meanwhile the bird had 
been obtained in the North Peninsula by Forsten, Rosenberg, Meyer, 
Musschenbroek, and others, both in the Minahassa and the Gorontalo District. 
Rosenberg says he got 18 specimens at Lake Limbotto in two (separate) months’ 
collecting in 1863—1864. As Walden first remarked on a young specimen 
from Meyer, the occurrence of birds in young plumage shows that the species 
breeds in the island (North Celebes), and W. Blasius points out that Platen’s 
specimen proves this to be the case in the Southern Peninsula also. 
A slightly differentiated form of N. caledonica is found in N. crassirostris 
Vig. of the Bonin Islands, which has, according to Seebohm (30) a stouter 
bill (22.8 — 25.4 mm across the nostrils as against 20.3 — 22.8 in the present bird). 
Dr. Sharpe distinguishes the two birds as subspecies. Another closely allied 
form is Nycticwaoo manilensis, with the entire fore-neck, and sometimes the chin 
and throat, of a rufous colour, the three crest- feathers tipped with black, some- 
times entirely black, and the upper parts of a darker hue than in N. caledonicus. 
Both occur in N. Celebes, where it seems very likely that they interbreed. 
N. grisms is easily recognised by its back and scapulars of black glossed with 
green, grey wings and light grey face and under parts. 
In habits, according to Gould, N. caledonicus is nocturnal, and it feeds on 
fishes, water-lizards, crabs, frogs, leeches, insects. 
358. NYOTICORAX MANILENSIS Vig. 
Philippine Night Heron. 
Nycticorax maniUensis (1) Vigors, P. Z. S. 1831, 98; (II) Fraser, Zool. Typ. Av. 1848, t. 64; 
(3) Gray, List Grallae Br. Mus. 1844, 80; (4) id., Gen. B. HI, 558 (1847); (V) 
Rchb., Orn., Grallat. 1846, t. 155, f. 2391; (6) Bp., Oonsp. 1855, H, 140; f/j Swinh., 
Ibis 1860, 65, 358; (8) Hartl. & Finscb, P. Z. S. 1872, 105; (9) Finscb, J. Mus. 
Godef. 1875, Vm, 33; (10) Wald., Tr. Z. S. 1875, LX, 238; (11) Rcbw., J. f. 0. 
1877, 238; (12) Tweedd., P. Z. S. 1877, 769; (13) id., ib. 1878, 288, 345; (14) id., 
106 * 
