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Genus— D EMIGRETTA. 
Demigretta Blyth, Journ. As. Soc. Bengal, Vol. XV., 
p. 372, 1846 . . , . . . . . . . . . Type D. concolor. 
Also Bpelt — 
Hemi-egretta Bonaparte, Consp. Gen. Av., Vol. II., p. 120, 1856. 
Demiegretta id., ib., p. 121. 
Ardeine birds with long bill, long wings, short tail, and comparatively 
short legs and short toes. 
The head bears a short crest; lanceolate dorsal plumes are present, as 
are also lanceolate breast-plumes. 
The culmen is very long, exceeding the metatarsus in length and about 
equal to the tail. 
The wing has the second and third primaries subequal and longest. 
The tail is composed of twelve feathers and is about one-third of the 
wing in length. 
The dorsal plumes are lanceolate, showing little disintegration and never 
extending beyond the tail. 
The legs are short ; the exposed tibia is comparatively much shorter 
than in any of the preceding Ardeine genera ; the metatarsus is shorter in 
length than the culmen while the toes are noticeably short. 
The diagnostic feature of the genus Demigretta is the conjunction of 
very long bill with short legs, so that the length of the bill exceeds that 
of the metatarsus ; the short toes and breeding-ornaments are aids to 
differentiation. 
In the Catalogue of the Birds in the British Museum, Vol. XXVI., 
Sharpe doubtfully synonymised with Demigretta sacra, the bird described by 
Swinhoe as Herodias eulophotes (Ibis 1860, p. 64). He carefully noted that 
he had only two specimens, and that these showed features which might 
later gain the species acceptance. There is now in the British Museum a 
fair series of this species, and as I have not noted recent discussion it seems 
well to record that not only is Herodias eulophotes Swinhoe quite distinct 
from Deinigretta sacra, but in view of the minute differences regarded 
as sufficient for generic distinction in this group, it cannot be even con- 
sidered congeneric with D. sacra. I therefore propose for Herodias eulophotes 
Swinhoe the new generic name HEMIGABZETTA. 
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