126 HISTORY OF THE 



These birds are quite numerous in Florida and the adjacent 

 isles, and not uncommon west along the Gulf coast and in Cen- 

 tral America, where I have occasionally met with them upon 

 both coasts, and far inland along the streams that I visited. 

 They are quite social and diurnal in their habits, collecting to- 

 gether in large flocks at their roosting and breeding places. 

 For feeding grounds they seem to prefer the margins of inland 

 streams and ponds of shallow water, where they patiently watch 

 for hours, or slowly move along with a dignified tread, striking 

 swiftly and with unerring aim at their prey, occasionally giving 

 chase, but in this respect they are not as much of a success as 

 the Snowy. These birds rise into the air with a bound, and 

 from the start flap swiftly and easily away. 



Their nests are placed on trees, bushes and cactus; a flat, 

 loose structure built of small sticks, with a mixture of leaves, 

 moss and grass. Eggs usually three or four; dark bluish green; 

 in form, rather elongated oval. A set collected April 29th, 

 1874, on the south coast of Florida, from a nest on the branches 

 of a low tree, are in dimensions: 1.65x1.32, 1.68x1.32, 1.72x 

 1.30, 1.72x1.34. 



Subgenus BUTORIDES Blyth. 



Adult with scapular plumes aud feathers of top of head moderately length- 

 ened, lanceolate, soft, aud with compact webs; jugular plumes broad, soft and 

 blended; color never white. {Rklgicay.) 



Ardea virescens Linn. 



GREEN HERON. 

 PLATE IX. 



Summer resident; abundant. Arrive about the middle of 

 April; begin laying about the first of May; remain until late 

 in the fall. 



B. 493. E. 494. C. 663. G. 228, 57. TJ. 201. 



Habitat. The whole of temperate North America, West In- 

 dies, Bermudas; north into Maine, Dakota and Oregon; south 

 into Venezuela and Colombia, South America. 



Sp. Chak. '■'■Adult: Entire pileum, including occipital crest, glossy dark 

 metallic bottle green; rest of the head and neck, except throat and foreneck, 

 rich chestnut, varying from a cinnamon shade to a fine purplish maroon; bare 



