ARDEID^ — THE HEROXS — ARDEA. 7 



b. Blue phase (^ " JFiirdemanni," Baird). 



Adult: Entire lieail, indmliiig occipital crest, pure white ; the forehead streaked with Idack (the 

 feathers edged with hhick, tlie median stripe being white). Abdomen and crissum pure white, the 

 former sparsely streaked with bhick (these streaks on the inner edge of the feathers, and broader 

 anteriorly) ; crissum immacuhite. Neck deep viohiceous-ihab ((Uirker and more violaceous than in 

 A. herodias, and ending almost abruptly against the white of the head) ; the throat with a narrow- 

 series of black and rufous dashes on a white ground ; plumes of the lower neck white, most of them 

 edged witli black, but the longer without grayish tinge. Lateral jugular tufts blue-black, with 



wide median stripes of pure white. Upper parts exactly as in A. herodias, except that the lower 

 wing-coverts have conspicuous median streaks of white, while the edge of the wing from the carpus 

 back is vhite, tinged with rafous, instead of wholly rufous. Tibial feathers paler rufous than in 

 A. herodias, growing almost wliite next the body on the inner side. Naked tibiae yellow; under 

 side ol toes ijelloiv ; rest of legs and ieet yellowish-olive. Young: Similar to young of A. herodias, 

 but lesser wing-coverts widely tipped with bright ferruginous, producing thereby a conspicuous 

 spotting of this color ; all the lower wing-coverts, large and small, with a large, terminal, wedge- 

 shaped spot of white. Forehead and crown dusky slate-C(dor, most of the feathers with whitish 

 shafts ; occipital plumes all whitish at the base, only the ends being dusky. 



"Wing, 21.00 ; tail, 8.00 ; culmen, 6.45 ; depth of bill (through middle of nostrils), 1.15; naked 

 portion of tibia, 5.50 ; tarsus, 8.00 ; mi<ldle toe, 4.80. [Type, No. 8690, South Florida.] 



The specimen described above as the young of ^. " JFimlcnumni" is a very young bird, with the 

 downy tilaments still adhering to the tips of all the feathers of the crown, and with the remiges 

 only half grown out. It is much larger than any specimens of A. herodias of corresponding age, 

 the culmen measuring 5.15, the tibia 5.00, the tarsus 7.80, and the middle toe 4,60. The plumage 

 is even more different : In the young of A. herodias, the dusky of the crown includes the entire 

 upper half of the head, the occiput being wholly blackish and the cheeks slaty ; in the specimen 

 under consideration the cheeks are entirely white, like the throat, and the occipital feathers white, 

 tipped with dusky, thus restricting the continuous dusky to the forehead and crown. The con- 

 spicuous white spots on the wing-coverts agree with the similar but smaller markings seen in the 

 adult of A. " JFiirdemanni," but wanting in all ages and stages of A. herodias. 



The identity of Ardea JFiirdemanni, Baird, with A. occidentalis, Audubon, although not proven, 

 is inferred from a number of circumstances and coincidences in the history of each, which, together 



wing from flexure, 19 ; tail, 7 ; bill along the back, 6f ; along the edges. Si ; bare part of tibia, 6 ; tarsus, 

 8h ; "middle toe, 41S ; its claw, IB. Weight, 9* lbs." 



?: "Length to end of tail, 50 ; to end of wings, 50 ; to end of claws, 65 ; extent of wings, 75 ; wing 

 from flexure, 181 ; tail, 65 ; bill along the back, 51« ; along the edges, 7J ; its dei)th at base, li\ ; tarsus, 

 7h ; middle toe, 4i ; its claw, rk. Weight, 71 lbs."— AuD. 



