ARDEA, 163 
Ptil. hiem. plitosi estive similis, sed plumis ornamentalibus nullis: rostro basin versus flavicante. (Deser. 
fem. adultz ex Punta Rassa. Mus. nostr.) 
Juv. adultis similis, pure alba, vix cristata, plumis ornamentalibus nullis. 
flab. 'TeMpPeRatE anpD TropicAL NortH America, from Long Island and Oregon south- 
wards, casually to Nova Scotia and Southern British Columbia ®».—Mexico, Tampico 
(fichardson *!), Tres Marias Is. (Grayson 7! °°, Nelson 1°), Presidio de Mazatlan 
(Forrer 31), Mazatlan (Bischoff?', Grayson ?1), Rio de Coahuayana, Colima 
(Xantus?!), Guanajuato (Dugés **), Valley of Mexico (Herrera®°), city of Mexico 
(White ‘*), Laguna del Rosario, Tlaxcala (Ferrari-Perez?), Jalapa (de Oca}, 
Sallé™), Santa Efigenia, Tehuantepec, Oaxaca (Sumichrast ?*), Progreso, Yucatan 
(Schott °), Merida (Gaumer*'), Cozumel I. (Bean?*, Gaumer™?!); Brivisu 
Honpuras, Turneff Lagoon, Man-o’-War Cay (0. S.°), Belize (Blancaneausx *1) ; 
GUATEMALA, Chiapam (0. 8.78), Lake of Duefias, Coban, Yzabal (O. S.% 31); 
Honpuras, River Chilomo (Leyland); Nicaragua, San Juan del Sur, Pacific 
coast 2°, Ometépe I., Lake of Nicaragua?’ (Nutting), Blewfields (Wickham 2), 
Rio Frio, Rio Escondido (Aichmond®); Costa Rica (Capt. Dow), Liberia 
(Zeledon*) ; Panama, Castillo (EZ. Arcé °°), Lion Hill Station (IZ Leannan 16 18 31) ,— 
SourH AMERICA generally #1. | 
The Snowy Egret takes the place of the European Ardea garzetta in the New 
World. In breeding-plumage it has a very large crest of decomposed feathers, but no 
elongated ornamental plumes on the neck; on this account Dr. Bowdler Sharpe placed 
it in a separate genus, Leucophoyw. 
Considerable variation in size is found even in birds from the same locality and. 
procured at the same time of year. 
A. candidissima breeds throughout the greater part of its range in the United States 
and also in favourable localities in Central America, as Salvin found nests with both 
eggs and young on Man-o-War Cay, off the coast of British Honduras 2°. Dr. Gundlach 
says that large communities breed in Cuba; and from Natterer’s localities and dates it 
should nest in Brazil, as it certainly does in Chili #2. In winter the species migrates 
southward, and is seen abundantly in small flocks in many of the Central-American 
States. It frequents both coasts of Guatemala, and is very common on the Atlantic ; 
we procured specimens, too, at Chiapam, on the Pacific. Mr. Nutting found large 
numbers on both coasts of Nicaragua, and it has also been recorded from some of 
the rivers of that country. Gregarious during the nesting-season, this bird breeds in 
colonies like other Egrets. Formerly there were enormous numbers of nesting birds, 
but the constant shooting of these and other Herons during the breeding-time has 
entirely destroyed many of the colonies in North America. 
The late Dr. Brewer gives an interesting account of their habits from his own 
experience and that of his correspondents. One of the latter, Mr. N. B. Moore, 
21* 
