ARDEID.E — THE HERONS — IIERODIAS. 23 



Hasselq., of Java, India, Japan, New South. Wales, and Tasmania ; (4) H. timorensis, Cuv., of 

 Timor ; and (5) H. hrevipes, Verr. & Desm., from New Caledonia. To which of these the fourth 

 species of the following synopsis belongs, I am at present unable to determine. 



Synopsis of Species. 



A. J Kcjidar plumes sUghthj lengthened, witli broad and nndeconqiosed icehs. 



a. With li^ht-colored legs and feet, and the bill usually principally dusky. 



1. H. E.lba.1 Plumes of the train reaching to only about 2-3 inches beyond the tail ; bill 



chiefly dusky in the breeding plumage ; legs and feet chiefly light flesh-colored, with the 

 larger scutellaj more brownish. Wing, 1(5.00-18.30 ; culmen, 4.70-6 00 ; tarsus, 6.50- 

 7.90 ; middle toe, 3.60-4.60. Hah. Europe and other parts of Old World. 

 h. With deep black legs and feet, the bill usually mostly yellow. 



2. H. syrmatophorus.'- With a short train, like //. alba, but bill wholly yellow, and the 



legs and feet deep black (except tibife, which are pale dull yellow), as in H. egretta. Wing, 

 14.50 ; culmen, 4.50 ; tarsus, 6.25 ; middle toe, 3.65. Hab. Australia. 



3. H. egretta. Bill usually chiefly yellow, with more or less of the terminal portion black ; 



sometimes, however, with the manilla wholly black or entirely yellow ; tibise black. 

 Train extending usually 6 inches or more beyond the tail. Wing, 14.10-16.80 ; culmen, 

 4.20-4.90 ; tarsus, 5.50-6.80 ; middle toe, 3.50-4.30. Hah. Warmer parts of America. 



B. Jugular plumes similar to those of the dorsal train, only smedler. 



4. H. plumiferus.3 Bill with about the terminal half of both mandibles black, the basal 



portion pale-colored (yellow in life ?) ; legs and feet deep black. Wing, 12.50 ; culmen, 

 3.10; tarsus, 4.80; middle toe, 3. Hab. China (No. 85747 U. S. Nat. Mus. ; ^ ad., 

 Woo Sung, China, May 23, 1881 ; Shanghai Museum) ; Australia (Gould). 



Herodias egretta. 



THE AMERICAN EGRET. 



La Grande Aigrette d'Amerique, Buff. PI. Enl. 1770-86, pi. 925. 



Great White Heron, Lath. Synop. III. 1785, 91. 



Great Egret, Lath. t. c. 89 (based on Pi. Enl. 925). 



Ardea egretta, Gmel. S. N. I. 1788, 629, no. .34 (based on PL Enl. 925, and Lath., 1. c). — Wils. 



Am. Oin. Vn. 1813, lOG, pL 61, fig. 4. — Nutt. Man. II. 1834, 47. — AUD. Orn. Biog. IV. 



1838, 600, pi. 386; Synop. 1839, 265; B. Am. VI. 1843, 132, pi. 370. — CouES, Key, 1872, 



267 ; Check List, 1873, no. 452 ; Birds N. W. 1874, 519. 

 Herodias egretta. Gray, Gen. B. IIL 1849. — Baird, B. N. Am. 1858, 666; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, 



no. 486. — CouEs, Check List, ed. 2, 1882, no. 658. 

 Herodias alba, var. egretta, Eidgw. Am. Lye. N. Y. Jan. 1874, 386. 

 Herodias alba egretta, Ridgw. Bull. Essex Inst. Oct. 1874, 171 ; Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, no. 489. 



1 Herodias alba, Linn. European Egret. 



Ardea albei, LiXN. S. N. ed. 10, I. 1758, 144 ; ed. 12, I. 1766, 239. 



Herodias alba. Auct. 



Ardea egrettoides, S. G. Gmel. Keise, II. 193, pi. 24. 



Erodius Victoricc, jMacgill. Man. N. H. Orn. II. 131. 



Herodias Candida, Brehm, Vi.ig. Deutschl. 584. 



2 Herodias syrmatophorus, Gould. Australian Egret. 



Herodias syrmatophorus, Gould, B. Austr. VI. 1848, pi. 56. 

 It is somewhat doubtful whetlier this bird can be separated from H. egretta. A Floridian specimen of 

 the latter is in all rcsjjccte identical, except as to size, the measurements being, wing, 15.50 ; culmen, 4.50 ; 

 tarsu.s, 6.00 ; and middle toe, 3.85, —certainly not as great a difference as occurs between specimens of 

 either H. alba or H. egretta. 



3 Herodias plumiferus, Gould. Plumed Egret. 



Herodias plumiferus, Gould, P. Z. S. 1847, 221 ; B. Austr. VI. 1848, pi. 57. 



