ARDEID.E — THE HERONS — BUTORIDES. 



51 



Key, 1872, 268 ; Check List, 1873, no. 457 ; Birds N. W. 1874, 522. — Reichenow, J. f. 0. 



1877, 255. 

 Biitorides virescens, Bonap. Consp. II. 1855, 128. — Baird, Birds N. Am. 1858, 676 ; Cat. N. Am. 



B. 1859, no. 493. — Ridgw. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, no. 494. — CouES, Check List, 2d ed. 1882, 



no. 663. 

 Crahier de la Loiiisiane, Buff. PI. Enl. 1770-84, pi. 909 (adult). 

 Crahier tachete, de la Martinique, Buff. PL Eul. 912 (young). 

 Green Heron, Lath. Synop. III. 1785, 68. 

 Louisiana Heron, Lath. t.c. 81. 



Ai-dea ludoviciana, Gmel. S. N. I. ii. 1788, 630, no. 39 (based on PI. Enl. 909). 

 1 Blue Heron, var. B., Lath. Synop. II L 1785, 75 (Queen Charlotte's Sound). 

 Ardca cMoroptcra, Bodd. Tabl. P. E. 1783, pi. 909. 

 Cancroma maculaf.a, Bodd. t.c. pi. 912. 

 ? Ardea virgata, Gmel. S. N. I. ii. 1788, 643. 



Hab. The whole of temperate North America, West Indies, Middle America, and northern 

 South America, to Venezuela ; north to Canada West and Oregon ; ahundant both in the Pacific 

 States and Eastern Province, but apparently wanting in the Middle Province ; Bermudas. 



Sp. Char. Adult: Entire pileum, including occipital crest, glossy dark metallic bottle-green ; 

 rest of the head and neck, except throat and foreneck, rich chestnut, varying from a cinnamon 

 shade to a fine purplish maroon ; bare orbital space bordered posteriorly with greenish black, from 



the lower part of which projects backward, from the rictus, a short stripe of the same ; below this, 

 along the upper edge of the malar region, a narrow stripe of white, the lower malar feathers being 

 mixed black and rufous, forming another stripe ; throat and foreneck, from chin to jugulum, white, 

 marked with broad longitudinal dashes of dusky. Lower parts ash-gray, the lining of the wing 

 somewhat spotted, and distinctly bordered, outwardly, with creamy white. Scapular plumes glau- 

 cous-plumbeous, with a green reflection in certain lights, the shafts white. Wing-coverts and 

 rectriees brilliant metallic bottle-green, the former distinctly bordered, narrowly, with fulvous- white ; 

 these borders on the lesser-coverts, more rusty or fulvous ; rectriees immaculate bottle-green ; remiges 

 and primary-coverts plumbeous, with a green reflection, the inner primaries and adjoining second- 

 aries with narrow crescentic tips of white, the coverts with terminal deltoid spots of the same. 

 Bill deep black, the lower mandible sometimes partly yellowish or greenish ; lores and orbits vary- 

 ing from olive-green to Ijright yellow ; iris gamboge-yellow ; legs and feet olive-green or olive-yellow, 

 the scutell£E more greenish ; claws horn-color. Young : Pileum, including crest, as in the adult, 

 but usually streaked with dark rusty anteriorly ; sides of the head and neck dull dark rusty, indis- 

 tinctly streaked witli light ochraceous, or l)uft"; lower parts white, tinged with buff, and striped with 

 dusky. Back, scapulars, and rump nniform dull dusky-green, some of the feathers indistinctly 

 bordered with rusty ; wings and tail as in the adult, but light borders to larger wing-coverts 

 more ochraceous, and the two or three middle rows marked with medial wedge-shaped dashes of 



