WATER BIRDS. 



135 



The nest has been found 

 but twice, once by J. F. 

 Menge, at Lake FHrt, near Fort 

 Thompson, Florida, June 8, 

 1890, containing four young 

 birds (Auk, VIII, 309); and 

 once at Toronto, Ont., Canada, 

 June 15, 1898, where Mr. 

 George Pierce, while collecting 

 in Ashbridge's marsh, took a 

 female from her nest. This 

 was simply a mass of last 

 year's reeds and contained 

 one egg. The female, which 

 was killed, contained another 

 fully developed egg which 

 agreed perfectly in size and 

 color with the one found in 

 the nest. Mr. James H. Flem- 

 ing of Toronto, who examined 

 the eggs, states that their color 

 is much darker than average 

 eggs of A. exilis, though he has 

 seen a single set as dark (Auk, 

 XVIII, 106). The eggs found 

 in the nest measured 1.30 by 

 1.00 inch. 



TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION. 



Adult male: Crown, back of neck, 

 inter-scapulars, rump, tail, bend of 

 wing, and under tail- coverts, glossy 

 black; front of neck, abdomen, sides, 

 and flanks, chestnut more or less 

 mixed or shaded with smoky black, 

 especially on the sides and flanks; 

 primaries slate-color without light 

 tips; outer secondaries gray without 

 reddish tips, inner secondaries black ; 

 median wing-coverts chestnut, greater wing-coverts blackish-gray, the inner ones with chest- 

 nut tips; no buffy margin on the outer edge of scapulars. Adult female: Similar to 

 atlult male, but the crown dull blackish instead of glossy black, and the back brownish- 

 black witliout gloss. Young birds appear to be similar to adults of the same sex, but 

 many of the dark feathers may be light edged or tipped. 



Length and other measurements practically the same as tho.se of the Least Bittern. 



Fig. 33. Cory's Bittern. 



From Bull. Mich. Ornith. Club. (By courtesy of P. 

 Taverner) 



71. Great Blue Heron. Ardea herodias herodias lAnn. (194) 



Synonyms: Common Blue Heron, Blue Crane, Crane. — Ardca horoilias, Linn., 1758, 

 and most authors. 



Plate VII. 



Largest of our herons, but not to be confused with the Sandhill Crane 

 (Compare Fig. 40 and Plate 7). The latter has a comparatively blunt bill, 

 partly bald head always without long plumes, and the plumage rather 



