NOTES ON ARDEA WUERDEMANNI BAIRD. 

 Ity KOItfl^KT a£II><;\VAV. 



Haviug been euabled to examine eiyljt additional examples of this 

 little-kuowu bird, 1 desire to ofl'er the tollo\vin<;- remarks concerning 

 tbem : — 



Three of the specimens in question are the property of the National 

 Museum, having- been purchased from Mr. R. C. Stuart, of Tampa, Fla. 

 Four were kindly loaned for examination by Mr. Charles B. Cory, of 

 Boston, and one was furnished for the same purpose by Mr. Stuart. All 

 were obtained by Mr. Stuart in December, 1880, on the keys near Cape 

 Sable. 



With a single exception (to be particularly noted further on), they all 

 closely resemble the type specimen obtained about thirty years ago 

 near Cape Sable by Mr. G. Wiirdemanu, differing only in unimportant 

 details of coloration, as follows: 



(a) Xo. 110210, Nat. Mus., adult male. Dusky streaks on forehead 

 much less distinct and less numerous, and black streaks on fore-neck 

 also smaller and sparser; lower parts immaculate white, except on 

 breast, which is broadly streaked, as in the type; thighs i)aler cinna- 

 mon-rusty ; bluish gray of upper parts and ecru-drab of neck also de- 

 cidedly paler * 



(6) No. 110211, Nat. Mus., adult female. Very much like the preced- 

 ing, but neck still paler and much tinged with rusty in middle portion, 

 and forehead and fore-neck more broadly and conspicuously streaked, 

 almost exactly as in the type; shoulder-tufts or "epaulets" much more 

 broadly striped with white, and with the black portions partly replaced 

 on some feathers by rusty ; middle line of belly striped with black, as 

 in type ; longer lower tail-coverts marked near tip with a pair of oblong 

 spots or broad streaks (one on each web) of dusky slate. 



(c) No. 8010, coll. C. B. Cory, adult female. Forehead immaculate 

 white, and crown with only a few indistinct streaks, but sides of occiput 

 marked with a few blackish broad streaks or dashes ; lower i)arts almost 

 immaculate white, there beiug only a few narrow streaks of dark slaty 

 brown on the breast. 



{(l) No. 8011, coll. C. B. C, adult male. Exactly like the type, except 

 that on each side of theoccii)ut there is a i)atch of blackish (somewhat 

 broken by white streaks), about l.oO inches in length by .50 wide at 

 broadest part. 



* The type (litters from all other speciuieus examined in clecitledly darker color of 

 the neck, and darker, dingier color of back, wings, etc. The si»ecimen is very old, 

 however, and it is very likely that these peculiarities in coloration are more or less 

 due to the suli'usion of grease from the skin. 

 11-2 



