10 ALTRICIAL G-EALLATORES — HERODIONES. 



greenish Prussian blue. They measure 2.23 inches in length by 1.85 inches in 

 breadth. 



Mr. N. B. Moore deems it highly probable that the birds now standing as A. Wiir- 

 demanni may prove to be only a rare and elegant variety of herodias. He was led 

 to this conclusion by examining, at a distance of about a hundred yards, a flock of 

 Herons which seemed to him to corresj)ond with the description of this rare variety, 

 and yet to ba rather varieties of, than a species differing from, the true herodias. We 

 abridge his account : Seated in shade of a bunch of " saw-grass," near a pond about 

 half a mile from Sarasota Bay, Feb. 20, 1874, he saw a Great Blue Heron descend and 

 perch on a bush. By the aid of a spy -glass he was able to see, on what seemed to be 

 a true A. herodias, an occipital white plume nearly four inches in length. In a few 

 minutes three others appeared ; one had a head that was pure white in every part, 

 and occipital plumes of the same color, six or seven inches long. 



He spent the remainder of the day watching their movements, and at about sun- 

 down the strange birds rose and flew away towards the north without coming within 

 the reach of his gun or nearer than about eighty yards. During five hours of obser- 

 vation he saAV it in every position and under every possible direction of sunbeam and 

 shadow. The head was entirely a pure white, as were also the occipital streamers. 

 The loAver parts appeared to be whiter than those of its adult companion. The 

 upper ])arts of shoulders, back, and lanceolate plumes seemed rather lighter and 

 more silvery than those of the other. The tibial feathers in both were rufous, and 

 both had black at the lower neck where uncovered at the carpus. The upper parts 

 of the neck in both were washed in cinnamon, and both had the neck below an ashy 

 lilac. Had he seen it by itself or in any other company than A. herodias, he would 

 have unhesitatingly regarded it as an elegant specimen of A. Wurdemanni. 



Applying Avhat he considers a never-failing test — the habits of Herons in general 

 when in company with those of their OAvn species — Mr. Moore was sure that this 

 bird was an A. herodias.'^ At this season this bird, the most unsocial of all the Herons, 

 will admit to the same pond, to feed in sight of it, one or more of its kind ; but its 

 disposition to tease and harass all l)ut its mate is occasionally exhibited, and occurred 

 repeatedly here. These appeared to be migrants moving north. One was a young 

 bird of the first year. None of the others attempted to annoy it until it chanced to 

 pierce a siren, when the master bird, in the true dress of an herodias, rushed at it 

 and caused it to liberate its \)vej. The one with a white head when pursued seemed 

 to act as if in deference to its companion, and to a}>proaeli it, though not very near. 

 On being teased it seemed to submit, as if well acquainted with its oppressor. These 

 Herons came from the south, were evidently strangers, and moved on toward the 

 north. The young bird was the last to leave, but soon followed its companions. 



Ardea Wardi. 



WARD'S GREAT BLUE HERON. 



Ardea Wardi, RiDOW. Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, Vol. VII. No. 1, January, 1882, p. 5 (Oyster Bay, Soutli- 

 western Florida). 



Sp. Char. Colored phase exactly like A. IViirdemanni (= dark phase of ^. occidentalis ?), but 

 with the head colored as in A. herodias. Differing from herodias in much larger size (culmen, 



1 Mr. Moore's observatious in respect to this matter do not correspond at all with the experience of 

 others. His inferences are doubtless incorrect, and the birds he saw were in all probability A. " Wiirdc- 

 rannni " and A. Wardi. — R. R. 



