Birds 65 



latter creamy white. The black-crowned bird is not rare; the 

 other only occurs accidentally. The young Black-crowned Night 

 Heron is quite unlike the adult, being reddish brown streaked 

 with white. The remaining herons are classified by some authors 

 in six genera, but others treat them as subgenera of Ardea. We 

 have first of all those with entirely white plumage; the egret (A. 

 egretta)*, with long plumes on the back only; the Snowy Egret 

 (Ardea or Egretta candidissima**) with long plumes on crown, neck 

 and back. For the first we have only two records, but the second 

 has been observed on numerous occasions. The Little Blue 

 Heron (Ardea caerulea)*** , which has been recorded from Montrose 

 (Condor, vol. 14, p. 151) is for the most part slaty blue, but some- 

 times white. It has the head and neck chestnut or maroon, and 

 has plumes on the crown. The remaining three herons are easily 

 separated by size. The Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias tregan- 

 zai of Court) is about 45 inches long; the upper parts are bluish 

 gray. It is a common Colorado bird. The Reddish Egret (A. 

 rufescens)**** , for which there is only one Colorado record, is 31 

 inches long. The Green Heron (A. virescens) ***** also recorded 

 only once, is about 12 inches long. 



PALUDICOLAE (GRUI FORMES) 



"If the wing is over 15 inches, hind toe elevated above 

 the others; if under ten inches, hind toe on a level with the others" 

 (Sclater). The larger birds referred to are the Cranes; the others 

 are the Rails and Coots. Our cranes (Gruidae) include three 

 species, the Whooping Crane (Grus americana), the Little Brown 

 Crane (Grus canadensis) and the Sandhill Crane (Grus c. mexicana). 

 These birds present some resemblance to the storks, but it is 

 superficial, and does not extend to their anatomy. The first men- 

 tioned has the plumage white, with black primaries. The second 

 is much smaller, about 36 inches long, and has the plumage slaty 

 gray. The third is like the second but larger, about 48 inches 

 long. The Whooping Crane has been considered to belong to a 



*Also called Casmerodius egretta. 



**It is held by some that this should be called by Molina's name E. thula, but the 

 A. O. U. Committee has not accepted the change. 



***Also called Florida caerulea. 



****Also called Dichromanassa rufescens. 



*****Also called Butorides virescens. 



