62 



ALTRICIAL GKALLATORES — IIERODIONES. 



Sp. Char. Adult : Forchcail, middle of the crown, and long occipital plumes, with a large 

 lon"itudinal patch IVom the rictus to the ears, pure white ; ^ rest of the head deep black. Plu- 

 mage in general, clear plumbeous-blue, or cinereous, lighter beneath (the degree of blueness prolj- 

 ably depending on the age of the bird) ; all the feathers of the upper surface marked with a medial 

 stripe of black ; the secondaries and rectrices dark plumbeous, bordered with a lighter shade of 



the same ; primaries plain bluish plumbeous. Bill deep black, the lower basal portion of the man- 

 dible, in some specimens, greenish yellow ; lores and eyelids greenish yellow ; iris pale orange ; 

 le"s dull yellowish green, the large scutellse and the claws dusky.^ 



Young : Above, dark sooty grayish brown, sometimes of a slightly olive cast, the feathers of the 

 pileum and wings (in youngest individuals the entire upper surface V) marked with medial streaks 

 of white or pale buff; these streaks assuming on the wing-coverts a narrowly cuneate form. Lower 

 parts soiled Avhitish, striped with brownish gray. " Bill greenish black, the lower and basal part 

 of the lower mandible greenish yellow, as are the eyelids and bare space before the eye. Iris pale 

 orange. Legs and feet dull yellowish green, the scutella and scales in front, as well as the claws, 

 dusky" (Audubon). Length, about 23.00-25.00 ; expanse, 40.00-45.00 ; weight, 1 lb. 7 oz. to 

 1 lb. 9 oz. (Audubon). Wing, 10.50-12.65 ; tail, 4.20-5.10; culmen, 2.50-3.00 ; depth of bill, 

 .70-92 ; tarsus, 3. 10-4.20 '; middle toe, 2.20-2.55 ; Ivxre portion of tibia, 1.60-2.40. 



The variation among different individuals of this species consists mainly in the absence or pres- 

 ence of the ochraceous stain on the forehead (and, if jiresent, its amount), and in the degree of 

 blueness in the plumbeous coloring of tlie general plumage. The most purely colored specimen I 



1 In living and freshly killed specimens the forehead is a delicate creamy sulphnr-yellow color ; but 

 this fades perceptibly in a very short time after death, and finally disappears entirely. Audubon ("Birds 

 of America," Vol. VI. p. 91) says, however, that this is characteristic of the breeding season, and "dis- 

 appears at the approach of autumn, when the bird might with all propriety be named the White-crowned 

 Heron." In view of the fact that this beautiful yellow color is seldom if ever to be seen in dried skins, 

 the term "yellow-crowned" is a decided misnomer ; and since it is thus calculated to mislead the stu- 

 dent, we i)rcfer the name "white-crowned," and have, for the reasons stated, adopted the latter in this 

 work. In many skins the white of the forehead is tinged more or less with ochraceous- or cinnamon- 

 brown ; bnt this is without much doubt an actual stain caused by contact with the slimy coating on the 

 under side of leaves of aquatic plants. 



'■^ In an adult female shot frohi the nest, at Wheatlaml, Indiana, April 27, 1881, the bill and naked 

 lores were wholly slate-l)lack, the eyelids .similar, but tinged with green anteriorly ; iris Mars-orange ; 

 legs pale olive-buff, the large scutellpe of tarsus and toes deep brownish. In the adult male in spring, 

 according to Audubon, the soft parts are colored as follows ; " I>ill l)lack. Iris reddish-orange ; maigins 

 of eyelids and bare space in front of tlie eye dull yellowi.sh green. Tibia, u]iper part of the tarsus, its 

 hind part and the soles, bright yellow ; the .scutella and scales, the fore part of the tarsus, the toes, 

 and the claws, black." 



