544 PROCEEDINGS OP THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. vol. 43. 



ARDEA HERODIAS ADOXA, new subspecies. 



Chars, suhsp. — Much like Ardea herodias herodias, but paler above, 

 and apparently, at least in the female, of somewhat smaller size. 



Description. — Adult female, No. 97914, U.S.N.M.; Curasao Island, 

 Caribbean Sea, February 10-18, 1884. Sides of crown, and occipital 

 crest, black; forehead, center of crown, short vertical crest, super- 

 ciliary stripe, sides of head, malar region, chin, and center of upper 

 throat, white; broad subauricular stripe pale drab gray; neck all 

 around deep drab gray, the middle line of foreneck streaked with 

 black, white, and cinnamon rufous; upper surface, including tail, 

 tertials, innermost secondaries, and superior secondary ' coverts, 

 rather light slate gray, the long narrow plumaceous feathers of back 

 and scapulars paler and glaucous, the median coverts and outer webs 

 of greater coverts paler gray, the rectrices brownish on inner webs; 

 primaries, secondaries (except the innermost), primary coverts, and 

 alula, blackrsh slate, slate black, or dull black; jugulum smoke gray, 

 medially white, streaked broadly with blackish slate, slate gray, and 

 smoke gray, the long, narrow, pointed, plume-like feathers terminally 

 pale smoke gray or white; a tuft of black, partly white-striped 

 feathers on each side of the breast ; back of this a patch of cinnamon 

 rufous; sides and flanks slate gray; breast and abdomen, black, 

 broadly streaked with white; lower tail-coverts white; thighs and 

 edge of wing tawny chestnut, the latter shading to chestnut; under 

 wing coverts partly slate color, partly slate gray, some with whitish 

 shaft streaks; axillars slate gray. 



Measurements. — Probable male : ^ Wing, 460-468 (average, 464.7) 

 mm.; tail, 177-185 (180); exposed culmen, 134-150 (143); height of 

 bill at base, 26.5-28.7 (27.7); tarsus, 178-187 (181.7); middle toe, 

 109-113 (111.3). 



Female:^ Wing, 430-447( 440.5);- tail, 168-172 (170.5); exposed 

 culmen, 121-131 (127.8); height of bill at base, 24-26,5 (24.8); tar- 

 sus, 162-175 (167.5); middle toe, 92-108 (102). 



Type-locality. — Island of Curasao. 



Geographical distribution. — Bahama Islands, West Indies, Cura- 

 sao, and Trinidad:^ resident in the upper Tropical Zone, north to 

 Andros and Inagua islands, Bahama Islands; west to Cuba; south to 

 Jamaica; and east to Inagua Island, Bahama Islands. In winter 

 also north to Bimini and Berrj^ islands, Bahama Islands; east to New 

 Providence Island, Bahama Islands, Santo Domingo, Porto Eico, and 

 the islands of St. Croix, Sombrero, St. Bartholomew, Barbuda, An- 

 tigua, Montserrat, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, Barbados, St. 



1 Three specimens, from the West Indian islands of Sombrero, Guadeloupe, and Grenada. 



2 Four specimens, from Inagua Island (Bahama Islands), Guadeloupe Island, and Jamaica, West Indies 

 ' No specimens examined, but probably this form. 



