NO. 1939. REVISION OF ARDEA HER0DIA8—0BERH0L8ER. 553 



ARDEA HERODIAS OLIGISTA, new subspecies. 



CJiars. suhsp. — In color like Ardea herodias Jiyperonca, but length 

 of wing very much less, bill more slender, and middle toe shorter. 



Description. — Type, almost adult male, No. 135573, U.S.N.M.; 

 San Clemen te Island, California, August 26, 1894; Dr. Edgar A. 

 Mearns. Sides of crown, and occipital crest, black; center of crown, 

 vertical crest, malar region, chin, and middle of upper throat, white; 

 sides of head di-ab-gray ; neck all around deep smoke gray, the middle 

 Hne of foreneck streaked with black, v/hite, and cinnamon rufous; 

 upper surface, including tail, tertials, innermost secondaries, and 

 superior secondary coverts, slate gray, rather darker on middle of 

 back, the median coverts and outer webs of most of greater coverts 

 paler gray, the rectrices terminally inclining to slate color or blackish 

 slate; primaries, secondaries (except tlie innermost), primary coverts, 

 and alula, blackish slate, slate black or dull black; jugulum smoke 

 gray, medially white, streaked broadly with deep smoke gray and 

 slate color, anteriorly washed with cinnamon rufous, the long, 

 narrow, pointed, plume-like feathers terminally pale gray or whitish; 

 a tuft of black, partly white-striped feathers on each side of the 

 breast; back of this a patch of ciimamon rufous; sides and flanks slate 

 gray; breast and abdomen striped, black, slate gray, and white; 

 lower tail-coverts white; thighs and edge of wing cinnamon rufous, 

 the latter darker along secondaries, somewhat mixed with white 

 at base of primaries; under wing-coverts slate color, with some edg- 

 ings of chestnut; axillars slate gi"ay. 



Measurements. — Male:^ Total length (in flesh), 1160 mm.; wing, 

 433; tail, 187; exposed culmen, 149; height of bill at base, 26; tarsus, 

 184; middle toe, 101. 



Type-locality. — San Clemente Island, Santa Barbara Islands, Cali- 

 fornia. 



Geographical distribution. — Upper Austral Zone on the Santa Bar- 

 bara Islands, California: San Clemente Island; also Santa Cruz, San 

 Nicholas, Anacapa, Santa Catalina, and probably other islands of 

 the gi'oup. Apparently a permanent resident. 



Although the type is the only specimen, it is so very much smaller 

 than any example of the mainland form, Ardea Jierodias Jiyperonca, 

 that it seemingly cam not belong to the same race. It has a shorter 

 wing than even Ardea Jierodias herodias. From Ardea herodias 

 treganzai and Ardea Jierodias sanctilucae it differs in much shorter 

 wing and darker neck and mantle. 



The type-specimen, though evidently full grown, is not quite 

 adult in color of plumage, which it shows in its brown forehead and 

 fore part of cro\\m; in duller gray and in slight ochraceous admixture 



1 One specimen, the type, from San Clemente Island, California. 



