ARDEA. 161 
Like the other large Herons, this is a very shy bird, and it may be seen standing 
motionless by the sides of streams or lagoons waiting for its prey, which consists 
chiefly of fish, though it also captures mice, frogs, and insects, and is even said to 
devour small birds. 
The nest is built in trees at varying heights from the ground, and mostly in swampy 
country; it is a large structure of sticks collected by the male and arranged by the 
female. The eggs are greenish-blue, usually three in number, but in more southern 
localities they vary from four to five, and occasionally six are found. Both sexes take 
their share of incubation, and the young birds remain in the nest till they are nearly 
full-grown. 
2. Ardea egretta. 
Ardea egretta, Wilson, Amer. Orn. vii. p. 106, t. 61. f.4.>; Wagler, Isis, 1831, p. 531°; Salv. 
Cat. Strickl. Coll. p. 516°; P. Z. 8. 1883, p. 427*; Ibis, 1889, p. 376°; Ferrari-Perez, Pr. 
U.S. Nat. Mus. ix. p. 169°; Zeled. An. Mus. Nac. Costa Rica, i. p. 130 (1887) * ; Stone, Pr. 
Acad. Philad. 1890, p. 203°; Cherrie, Auk, 1892, p. 329°; Richm. Pr. U.S. Nat. Mus. xvi. 
p. 527"; A. O. U. Check-l. N. Amer. Birds, 2nd ed. p. 71*'; Underwood, Ibis, 1896, 
p. 450"; Nelson, N. Amer. Fauna, no. 14, p. 33”. 
Herodias eyretta, Scl. P. Z. S. 1859, p. 369"* ; 1860, p. 253"; Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1859, p. 226"; 
P. Z. 8. 1864, p. 371"; Lawr. Ann. Lye. N. Y. viii. p. 12"; ix. p. 142; Mem. Bost. Soc. 
N. H. ii. p. 310°; Grayson, Pr. Bost. Soc. N. H. xiv. p. 285°; Nutting, Pr. U.S. Nat. 
Mus. v. p. 406”; vi. p. 879”; Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xxvi. p. 95” ; Oates, Cat. 
Eggs Brit. Mus. ii. p. 116”. 
Ardea ‘gazetta, Licht. Preis-Verz. Mex. Vég. p. 3%; Cab. J. f. Orn. 1863, p. 59”. 
Ardea leuce, v. Frantz. J. £. Orn. 1869, p. 876°; Dugés, La Nat. i. p. 142”; Sumichr. La Nat. 
v. p. 233”. 
Ptil. estiv. Alba, plumis dorsalibus ornamentalibus longissimis: rostro et plaga nuchali lorali flavis, hac vix 
viridi tincta; maxilla plus minusve nigricante; pedibus omnino nigris ; iride flava. Long. tota circa 38-0, 
ale 15°6, caudee 5°5, culm. 4°45, tarsi 5°95. (Deser. maris adulti ex Momotombo, Nicaragua. Mus. 
nostr. ) 
9. Pil. estiv. mari similis, pure alba, et plumis dorsalibus ornamentalibus decorata. Long. tota circa 33, 
ale 14:1. (Descr. feminee adultz ex Presidio, Mexico. Mus. nostr.) 
Ptil. hiem. ptilosi estive similis, sed plumis ornamentalibus nullis distinguenda. 
Juv. adultis similis, sed ptilosi molliori et magis decomposita: rostro flavo apicem versus nigro distinguendus. 
Hab. Temperate Nortu AMERICA southward from New Jersey, Minnesota, and Oregon ©. 
—Mexico generally (Sumichrast *°), Ciudad in Durango (Forrer**), Mazatlan 
(Bischoff'®°, Grayson °°), Rio de Coahuayana (Xantus*°), Presidio de Mazatlan 
(Forrer >), Tres Marias Is. (Grayson ?°?1, Nelson '%), Santana, Guadalajara, Jalisco 
(Lloyd **), Guanajuato (Dugés °°), Acapulco (Markham), Tamaulipas (Lichard- 
son**), San Baltazar, Puebla (Ferrari-Perez*+), Vera Cruz (Sallé), Jalapa 
(de Oca", Ferrari-Perez®), coast of Yucatan (Stone & Baker®), Cozumel 1. 
(Gaumer * +); Guatemala (Constancia*), Lake of Dueiias, Yzabal (O. S.16 24) ; 
Nicaragua, San Juan del Sur (Nutting ?*), Lake of Nicaragua, Rio Escondido 
BIOL. CENTR.-AMER., Aves, Vol. III., October 1901. | 21 
