Order ARDEIFORMES 
No. 240. 
Family ARDEIDM. 
DEMIGRETTA MATOOK COOKTOWNI. 
BLUE REEF-HERON. 
(Plate 191.)* 
Demigretta sacra COOKTOWNI Mathews, Nov. Zool., Vol. XVIII., p. 232, 1912 ; Cook- 
town, Queensland. 
Herodias jugularis (not Forster) Gould, Birds Austr., Vol. VI., pi. 60, 1848. 
Demiegretta jugularis Gould, Handb. Birds Austr., Vol. II., p. 307, 1865 ; Ramsay, Proc. 
Zool. Soc. (Lond.) 1877, p. 342 ; Walker, Ibis 1892, p. 257. 
Demiegretta sacra (not Gmelin) Ramsay, Tab. List Austr. Birds, p. 21, 1888 ; North, 
Austr. Mus. Cat., no. 12, p. 319, 1890 ; Le Souef, Ibis 1895, p. 422 ; Sharpe, Cat. 
Birds Brit. Mus., Vol. XXVI., p. 137, 1898 ; Hall, Key Birds Austr., p. 99, 1899 ; 
Campbell, Nests and Eggs Austr. Birds, p. 959, 1901 ; Carter, Emu, Vol. III., 
p. 210, 1904 ; Hartert, Nov. Zool., Vol. XII., p. 204, 1905 ; Hall, Key Birds 
Austr., p. 99, 1906; Austin, Emu, Vol. VII., p. 176, 1908; Mathews, Handl. 
Birds Austral., p. 33, 1908 ; Littler, Handb. Birds Tasm., p. 194, 1910 ; Campbell 
and White, Emu, Vol. X., p. 203, 1910 ; Ogilvie-Grant, Ibis 1910, p. 176 ; North, 
Austr. Mus. Sp. Cat., no. 1, Vol. IV., p. 30, 1913. 
Demigretta sacra cooJctowni Mathews, Nov. Zool., Vol. XVIII., p. 232, 1912 (Cooktown) ; 
id., List Austr. Birds, p. 83, 1913. 
Demigretta sacra tormenti Mathews, Nov. Zool., Vol. XVIII., p. 232, 1912 (Point Torment, 
North-west Australia). 
Distribution. Australia ; Tasmania. 
Adult male. General colour, both above and below, uniform light slate-grey with a 
narrow white streak on the chin and throat ; the ornamental plumes on the 
back are composed of elongated lanceolate feathers, little disintegrated ; a 
slight nuchal crest, and the ornamental plumes on the lower fore-neck similar 
in shape to those on the back but not so long. Bill slaty-brown ; iris yellow ; 
feet and tarsi olive-green. Total length 590 mm. ; culmen 88 ; wing 256 ; tail 88 ; 
tarsus 76. 
Adult female. Similar to the adult male. 
Immature birds are lighter in colour than adults. 
Nest, Eggs, and Breeding-season are similar to D. greyi. 
* The Plate is lettered Demigretta tormentt. 
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