536 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. vol. 43. 



south to southern Alberta (probably); southern Saskatchewan 

 (probably); eastern Nebraska (probably); central Iowa; central 

 Illinois; central Indiana; eastern Tennessee; and near Charleston, 

 central eastern South Carolina; east to the Atlantic coast of the 

 United States and of southern Canada, and to the Bermuda Islands.* 

 Winters from Florida, northern Tamaulipas, and Texas, north to New 

 York State; also on the Bermuda Islands. In migration or in winter 

 it wanders west to Prospect Lake, British Columbia. 



The present subspecies appears to be very uniform over its entire 

 range, at least the specimens examined so indicate. There seems to 

 be little if any difference, in either size or color, between examples 

 from New York and Connecticut and those from North and South 

 Carolina. A specimen from Castleberry, Alabama, taken November 

 10, 1911, is large, but very dark, even for Ardea Jierodias Jierodias, and 

 is nearer this than to Ardea Jierodias wardi. Another bird, taken at 

 the same place on November 18, 1911, is typical Ardea h. herodias. 

 Two birds from Mount Carmel, Illinois (U.S.N.M. Nos. 84577 and 

 84578), are slightly larger and slightly lighter above than typical 

 examples of Ardea herodias herodias, inclining thus toward Ardea 

 herodias wardi, but they are much nearer the present form. As these 

 two were not breeding birds they were doubtless sojourners from 

 another region, since the breeding form of this locality is Ardea herodias 

 wardi. The breeding bird of Saskatchewan and Alberta is probably 

 Ardea herodias herodias, although no specimens are at hand. An 

 immature individual from Prospect Lake, British Columbia, Septem- 

 ber 18, 1896 (No. 73573, Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist.), is just like immature 

 Ardea herodias herodias, so far as I can see, though it may possibly be 

 an intermediate between Ardea herodias treganzai and Ardea herodias 

 fannini. What is the breeding form of the Bermuda Islands is a little 

 uncertain, as I have examined no specimens from there, but the 

 probabilities favor its proper reference to Ardea herodias herodias. 



All specimens from Florida are, of course, only winter residents, 

 and this State seems to be a regular winter home for members of 

 this subspecies. It winters, however, with apparent regularity 

 also north to New York State, as there are several winter records of 

 specimens from the States of New York, New Jersey, and Virginia. 

 A single bird (No. 183328, U.S.N.M.) taken January 27, 1902, at 

 Camargo, Tamaulipas, Mexico, on the Rio Grande, represents the 

 southwestern limit of its known range. There is no certain record 

 of its occurrence in Louisiana, though it doubtless occurs there dur- 

 ing winter. A bird taken September 17, 1886, by naturalists of 

 the U. S. Fish Commission steamer Albatross, at sea about 130 miles 

 off the coast of New Jersey (lat. 38° 29' N. ; long. 71° 58' W.), shows 

 how the species sometimes wandeis. 



1 Probably this form. 



