ARDElD.E — ARDEIiWE: HERONS. 



879 



Waters." Adult ^ 9 • Slaty-bUie on back and wings, mostly white below and along throat- 

 liue ; crest and most of neck reddish-purple, mixed below with slaty ; longest narrow feathers 

 of crest white ; lower back and rump white, but concealed by the dull purplish-brown feathers 

 of the train, which whiten toward end. Jiill black and blue, more lilac at base and to lores; 

 legs and feet slate color; iris red. Adults in winter lack the plumes, and have the bill black 

 and yellow; lores yellow; legs yellowish-green, dusky in front; iris red. Young variously 

 different, but never white ; lacking long «jccipital plumes and dorsal train; neck and back bright 

 brownish-red; rump, throat-line, and under parts white; quills and tail pale pur|)lish-blue ; 

 legs dusky-greenish. Length 24. 00-27. 00 (exclusive of the long train) ; extent .'37.00-39.00; 

 wing 10.00-11.00; tail 3.50; bill 4.00-5.00; tibife bare 2.25 ; tarsus 4.00; middle toe and claw 

 3.00. S. Atlantic and Gulf States, chiefly maritime, rarely N. to the Middle districts, as New 

 Jersey, Indiana, etc. ; Lower California, S. in Mexico, West Indies, and Central America. Resi- 

 dent along our southern coasts ; connnou. Breeds in communities like otlier Henms. Nest and 

 eggs scarcely distinguisliable from those of the Snowy Heron ; eggs rather less elliptical, usu- 

 ally 4 in number, averaging 1.78 X 130. Anlea ludoviciana WiLS. Am. Orn. viii, 1814, p. 13, 

 pi. 14, fig. 1, nee Gm. 1788; Nutt. Man. ii, 1834, p. 51 ; Aud. Orn. Biog. iii, 1835, p. 13t), 

 folio pi. 217; B. Am. vi. 1843, p. 15G, 8vo, pi. 373. Egretta ludoviciana Bp. 1838. Demi- 



Flo. i;i."j 1... ,1 ,,, , 1 .■ . ; .LA 1 M. 11.-, , 



egretta ludoviciana Bd. B. N. A. 1858, p. Gf33. Herodias ludoviciana Brewkr, 1860. Hydra- 

 nassa ludoviciana Ufask and Rkich. 1890. — Ardea leucogasier Orv ed. WiLS. viii, 1825, p. 13 

 nee Bodij. 1783. Herodias leucogaster Gray, 1844. — Egretta leucopripnna LiciiT. 1854. 

 Herodias leucoprymna Bp. 1855. Ardea leucoprymna Gvixr, 1871. Ardea leucogastra var. 

 leucoprymna Coue.s, Key, 1872, p. 268. Demiegretta leucoprymna Lawr. 1874. Demiegretta 

 leucogastra var. leucoprimna Lawr. 1870. — Egretta ruficolUs Go.ssE, B. Jam. 1847, p. 338, 

 pi. 93. Herodias ruficollis Cab. 1856. Demiegretta ruficollis Gindl. 1866. Hydranassa 

 tricolor CouES ed. Sennktt, Bull. U. S. Geid. Surv. iv, 1878, p. 60; Check List, 1882, p. 106; 

 Key, 2d-4th eds. 1884-90, p. 661 ; nee Ardea tricolor Mull. 1776. — Hydranassa tricolor 

 ludoviciana Belding, 1882; Ridgw. 1885. Ardea tricolor ruficollis Ridgw. 1885. Ardea 

 tricolor Cory, 1885. Ardea (Hydranassa) tricolor ruficollis, A. 0. U. Chock Lists, 1886-95, 

 No. 199. Hydranassa ruficollis Sharps, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. xxvi, 1898, p. 127. Ardea 

 cyanirostris Cory, B. Bah. 1880, p. 168. This intricacy is mainly iluo to the facts that ludo- 

 viciana WiLS. is antedated for another species; tliat tricolor MiiLL. and leucogaster Bonn, are 

 botli based on the South Ameril'an bird, from which ours is only a subs]iccies ; that leucoprymna 

 LiCHT. is antedated by ruficollis Gos.se ; and that the jjoneric standinu; of the bird has been in 

 question. Synonyms multiply fast when four terms, of trenns and subgenus, species and sub- 

 species, occtu' in various combinations. Our Norfli .Vmerican subspecies is type of genus Hy- 

 dranassa Bl>. B. N. A. 1 8.58, p. 6(J0, in text. My present desii:nation. Ilydranassa tiirnlor 

 ruficollis, which is a new one, results from pivhiis, Hydranassa full generic rank, taking tricolor 

 as the species, and ruficollis as the sulispecies. 



