162 ARDEIDA. 
(Richmond); Costa Rica (Carmiol9, v. Frantzius}9 28), San José (Cherrie®, 
Zeledon"), Desamparados, Cartago (Zeledon’), La Palma (Nutting **), San Lucas, 
Bebedero, Miravalles 12 (Underwood); Panama (M‘Leannan 1" 18), Bay of Panama 
(Kellett & Wood 24).—Soutn America to Chile and Patagonia **. 
This Great White Heron is the American representative of Ardea alba of the Old 
World. It has an extended breeding-range in Temperate North America, from the 
Columbia River on the west coast to New Jersey on the east; in Central and South 
America, though for the most part a winter visitant, nesting-colonies are occasionally 
found. A. egretta has been recorded by Grayson as a permanent resident at Mazatlan, 
and by Mr. Cherrie as an inhabitant of Costa Rica, but the bird is only seen about 
San José towards the end of the rainy, and the beginning of the dry, season. 
Mr. Richmond found it breeding abundantly on the islands in the Lake of Nicaragua, 
_ and plentiful on the neighbouring rivers and lagoons. 
Although we met with Ardea egretta commonly in Guatemala, the species is of a more 
solitary habit than most other Herons, rarely more than a pair being seen together. 
The food consists of small mammals, frogs, snakes, lizards, small fish, insects, &c. 
The nest, according to Mr. Ridgway, is a large flat structure of sticks, usually placed 
in tall trees in cypress-swamps, or overhanging the water, up to a height of one hundred 
and fifty feet. The eggs are two or three in number and of a light blue colour. 
3. Ardea candidissima. 
Ardea candidissima, Gmel. Syst. Nat. i. p. 633’; Scl. & Salv. P. Z. S. 1867, p. 280°; Ferrari-Perez, 
Pr. U.S. Nat. Mus. ix. p. 169°; Zeled. An. Mus. Nac. Costa Rica, i. p. 180 (1887) *; 
Herrera, La Nat. (2) i. pp. 185°, 327°; Salv. Ibis, 1889, p. 376"; Richm. Pr. U.S. Nat. 
Mus. xvi. p. 527°; A. O. U. Check-l. N. Amer. Birds, 2nd ed. p. 72"; Nelson, N. Amer. 
Fauna, no. 14, p. 83°. 
Herodias candidissima, Scl. P. Z. 8S. 1857, p. 206". 
Garzetta candidissima, Moore, P. Z.8. 1859, p. 64°; Scl. P. Z. S. 1859, p. 8369"; 1864, p. 179"'; 
Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1859, p. 226”; P. Z. S. 1864, p. 871°; Cass. Pr. Acad. Philad. 1860, 
p. 196"; Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. vii. p. 801; ix. pp. 142”, 210°; Mem. Bost. Soc. 
N. H. ii. p. 810"; Bull. U.S. Nat..Mus. no. 4, p. 48%; Salv. Ibis, 1865, p. 191”; 
Dugés, La Nat. i. p. 142%; Grayson, Pr. Bost. Soc. N. H. xiv. p. 285”; Nutting, Pr. 
U.S. Nat. Mus. vi. pp. 879 *, 396°"; Ridgw. Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. viii. p. 581 *. 
fegretia candidissima, Salv. Ibis, 1864, p. 374”; P. Z. S. 1870, p. 218”. 
Leucophoyx candidissima, Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xxvi. p. 124%; Oates, Cat. Eggs Brit. 
Mus. ii. p. 121. 
Pil. estiv. Pure alba, plumis dorsalibus elongatis recurvatis; pileo nuchaque plumis filamentosis ornatis; 
prepectore quoque eodem modo ornato: rostro nigro, basaliter flavicante ; loris et palpebris nudis flavis : 
peJibus nigris, digitorum plantis flavis vel aurantiacis; iride flava. Long. tota circa 21:0, ale 10-5, 
caude 3-4, culm. 3°35, tarsi 3°85. (Descr. maris adulti ex Punta Rassa, Florida. Mus. nostr.) 
2 ad. mari similis, sed plumis ornamentalibus brevioribus distinguenda. Long. tota 20°5, ale 9-9. (Deser, 
feminee adultve ex Punta Rassa. Mus. nostr.) 
