AKDEIDJS— THE HERONS. 124* 



Ardea egretta Gmel. 



THE AMERICAN EGEET. 



Popular synomyms. Great White Egret; White "Crane;" Garza blanca grande (Mexico). 



La Grande A igrette d'A merique Buff. PI. Enl. 1770-86, pi. 925. 



Great While Heron Lath. Synop. iii. 1785, 91. 



Great Egret Lath. t. c. 89 (based on PI. Enl. 925). 



Ardea egretta Gmel. S. N. i, 1788, 029, No. 34 (based on PI. Enl. 925, and Lath. t. c.).— Wu.s 



Am. Orn. vii, 1813, 106, pi. 61, fig. 4.— Nutt. Man. ii, 1834. 47.— Aud. Orn. Biog. iv, 



1838, 600, pi. 386; Synop. 1839, 263; B. Am. vi, 1843, 132, pi. 370.— Coues, Key, 1872, 2'i7; 



Check List, 1873, No. 452; Birds N. W. 1874, 519. -A. O. U. Check List, 1886, No. 196.- 



Ridgw. Man. N. Am. B. 1887, 130. . 

 Eerodias egretta Gbay, Gen. B. iii, 1849— Baird, B. N. Am. 1858, 666; Cat. X. Am. B. 1859, 



No. 486.-Ridgw. Urn. 40th par. 1877, .-B. B. & R. Water B. N. Am. i, 1881, 23.- 



Coues. Check List. ed. 2, 1882, No. 658. 

 Herodias alba,\ar. egretta, Ridgw. Ann. Lye. X. Y. Jan. 1874, 3S'i. 

 Herodias alba egretta Ridgw. Bull. Essex Inst. Oct. 1871, 171; Norn. X. Am. B. 1881, No. 489. 

 Herodias egretta, var. californica Baird, B. N. Am. 1858, Oi7; Car. X. Am. B. L859,No. 486 a. 

 Ardea leuce "Illiger." Licht. Verz. Doubl. 1823. Xo. 733. 

 Ardea alba, subspec. galatea, Reichenow, J. f. O. 1877, 272. 



Hab. The whole of temperate and tropical America, from Nova Scotia, Ontario, 

 Minnesota, and Oregon, to Patagonia; throughout the West Indies. 



Sp. Char. Length, about 37.00-39.00; extent, about 55.00-57.00; wing, 14.10-16.80; tail, 

 5.60-7.30; culmen, 4.20-4.90; depth of bill, .70-.80; tarsus, 5.50-6.80; middle toe, 3.50-4.30; naked 

 portion of tibia, 3.50-4.50; weight, about 254 lbs. Color entirely pure white at all seasons 

 and at all ages. Bill and lores rich chrome-yellow (the latter sometimes tinged with light 

 green), the culmen usually black near the tip, sometimes nearly the entire maxilla black; 

 iris naples-yellow; legs and feet entirely deep black. 



Having specimens before us from all parts of its range, we 

 are unable to detect in this species any variations of ;t geograph- 

 ical nature. The chief difference between individuals consists in 

 the amount of black on the maxilla, this being sometimes al- 

 most nil, while again the maxilla may be entirely black. Thai 

 this variation has no relation to season is shown by the fad 

 that in a considerable series shot from one "rookery" in Florida, 

 mid nil bearing tip' nuptial train, the extremes are presented by 

 different individuals, others being variously intermediate. 



'I'he Greal White Egrel is either a summer resideni or visit, -nit 

 in almost every portion of the State. While no doubl breeding 

 in many localities it usually occurs as a visitor late in summer, 

 in Augusl and September, when it may !»•' seen, either singly or 

 in small -roups, sometimes in large numbers, wading about in 

 sho.il places in the rivers or ponds. Professor Forbes informs 

 me thai it is abundanl all summer on the Illinois River as f.-n 



north as IVoria: luil he does not State whether it is known ti 



breed t here. 

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