862 
Birds of Celebes: Ardeidae. 
B. Ceylon 1880, 1159 (Ceylon); W. Blasius c 3 [Q Celebes); David & Oustalet, 
Ois. Chine 1877, 446; Sharpe el, etc. 
Adult. Head, sides of face, ear-coverts, hind neck and upper parts blackish slaty; 
a narrow wliite metacarpal edge; under surface greyer slaty; sides of neck buff; 
fore neck varied with a broad plait of black, slaty, chestnut, buff, and white; 
elongated jugular plumes slaty grey broadly edged with white (ad., Limbotto, 
Jan. 1876: v. Musschenbroek — C 5269). 
An adult from Talaut has only a shght shade of blue on the back, the imder 
surface paler and browner, and the fore-neck less richly varied, there being no pure 
chestnut on the feathers (C 13017). 
Female. The female has been described from other quarters — Ceylon, Moluccas and Papu- 
asia, and Australia — as having the upper surface brown, but Prof. W. Blasius 
describes the female from Celebes as having the head above black with a bluish hue, 
and the back blackish in many places. Probably the old female may come to 
resemble the male in time, but the dark colour of Prof. Blasius’ specimens and the 
blue-black tint of what seems to be the adult male are most likely peculiarities of a 
geographical character, perhaps confined to Celebes. 
Immature. Differs from the adidt in having the fore-neck mostly chestnut, varied with white 
and a little slaty, the jugular plumes slaty, broadly edged with dull chestnut; back 
and wing-coverts brown (more slaty on latter) with terminal edges of cinnamon; under 
parts slaty brown, strongly varied with cinnamon on the abdomen and thighs. This 
specimen is in process of acquiring a brownish black back (Manado, March, 1871: 
Meyer — C 2005). 
Young. Like the immature bird, btit the feathers of the upper parts more broadly tipped 
with cinnamon, the fore-neck and under parts varied with cinnamon, slaty brown, and 
white (Talaut — C 13016). 
Measurements. 
Wing 
Tail 
Tarsus 
Mid. toe 
with claw 
Exposed 
cubnen 
a. (C 5269) ad., Limbotto, Jan. 76(v.Musschenbr.) 
211 
75 
68 
76 
80 
h. (0 2005) imm., Manado, Mch. 71 (Meyer) . . 
205 
70 
70 
78 
84 
c. (C 883) ad., Siao (Meyer) 
218 
80 
60 
65 
79 
d. (0 13017) ad., Kabruang, Nov. 93 (Nat. Coll.) 
205 
77 
65 
67 
76 
e. (C 13015) hum., SaUbabu, Oct. 93 (Nat. Coll.) 
213 
— 
63 
66 
77 
f. (C 13016) juv., Salibabu, Oct. 93 (Nat. Coll.) 
215 
70 
63 
66 
76 
g. (C 12416) imm., Java (v. Schierbrand). . . 
216 
70 
68 
72 
76 
h. (C 12417) imm., Java (v. Schierbr.) .... 
185 
60 
62 
68 
76 
(Nr. 11250) ad., Java (v. Schierbr.) .... 
201 
70 
64 
77 
80 
j. (Nr. 11525) juv., Java (v. Schierbr.) .... 
215 
78 
64 
65 
78 
Variation. This bird displays great individual variation in 
the length 
of its members 
especially of the toes. 
Eggs. Descnbed by Hume in India as “broad ovals of the usual Heron-type. The ground- 
colour is white, with a very faint green tinge”. Size 42 X 32 mm (Doig in Nests 
& Eggs Ind. B. Oates ed. 1890, HI, 251. Compare also: North, Nests & Eggs 
B. Austr. 1889, 321, pi. XVHI, f. 4). 
Nest. “Of tamarisk twigs, with sometimes a few aquatic weeds on which the eggs are laid; 
they are generally placed about 5 feet over the water, either in a dense tamarisk 
bush or thick clump of weeds, and are about 9 inches in diameter, 3 inches thick, 
and have a very slight depression in which the eggs, always four in number, are 
laid” (Doig 1. c.). 
