NO. 1116. PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEVM. 601 



Family AEDEID.E. 



Genus ARDEA, Linnaeus. 



Ardea, LinnyEUS, Syst. Nat., 10th ed., I, 1758, p. 141. Type, by elimination, 

 A. cinerea, Linmeus. 



Hange. — Nearly cosmopolitan (wanting in New Zealand, Polynesia, 

 etc.). Galapagos Archipelago (one species, doubtfully identified with 

 a species of North, Middle, and northern South America). 



PARDEA HERODIAS, Linnaeus. 



Ardea herodias, Linn.eus, Syst. Nat., lOtb ed., I, 1758, p. 143.— Darwin, Zool. Voy. 

 Beagle, III, Birds, 1841, p. 128 (Galapagos Archipelago).— Sclater and Sal- 

 viN, Proc. Zool. Soc, 1870, p. 323 (Indefatigable Island).— Salvin, Trans. 

 Zool. Soc, IX, Pt. IX, 1876, p. 497 (Indefatigable Island).— Ridgway, Proc. 

 U. S. Nat. Mns., XII, 1889, p. 114 (Duncan Island).— Baird, Brewer and 

 Ridgway, Water Birds N. Amer., I, 1884, p. 13.— Ridgway, Man. N. Amer. 

 Birds, 1887, p. 129. 



Ennge. — Temperate North America, whole of Middle America, and 

 parts of northern South America. Galapagos Archipelago: Duncan 

 Island {Albatross) ; Indefatigable Island (Habel). 



I am not fully satisfied of the identity of the Galapagos bird with the 

 true ^4. herodias, the single specimen examined (Mr. Townsend's Dun- 

 can Island example) being a young bird. 



Genus HERODIAS, Boie. 

 Herodias, Boie, Isis, 1822, p. 559. Type, by elimination, Ardea egreita, Gmelin. 

 Hange. — Warmer parts of both hemispheres. ? Galapagos Archi- 

 pelago (one species, undetermined, bnt supposed to be of this genus, 

 and doubtfully identified with a widely distributed American species. 

 No specimens). 



? HERODIAS EGRETTA (Gmelin). 



Ardea egretta, Gmelin, Syst. Nat., I, Pt. ii,1788, p. 629.— Ridgway, Man. N. Amer, 

 Birds, 1887. 



Herodias egretta, Baird, Birds N. Am. 1858, p. 666. — Baird, Brewer and Ridg- 

 way, Water Birds N. Amer.. 1, 1884, p. 23. 



Bange. — Temperate and tropical America in general. ? Galapagos 

 Islands: Albemarle Island (Baur and Adams). 



Although we have it on Dr. Baur's authority that a large white 

 heron breeds in the Galapagos, the species is doubtful, and the bird 

 found there may possibly be a white phase of the large gray heron of 

 those islands, provisionally identified as A. herodias, Linnieus.^ Under 

 date of April 6, 1892, Dr. Baur writes me concerning this bird as 

 follows : 



On Albemarle I observed a rookery of a white heron (the adnlts fully white). I 

 only secured a young bird in form of a skeleton. The gray heron {Ardea herodias?) 



' Only immature specimens of which have been examined. 



