ARDEIDyE—ARDEIN.E: HERONS. 881 



BUTORI'DES. (Lat. butor, a bittern; Gr. eiSo?, eidos, resemblance.) Green Heroxs. 

 Size small ; length one and a half feet. Bill moderate, longer than tarsus, with gently con- 

 vex culmen and gonys. Legs short; tibia3 little denuded ; tarsus scarcely or not longer than 

 middle toe and claw. An occipital crest of lengthened, lanceolate, not decomposed, feathers; 

 neck-feathers long but blended, those below depending in a tuft, those on sides hiding an ex- 

 tensive bare space behind. In breeding season, feathers of back lengthened, lance-linear, but 

 compact-webbed, not forming a train. Upper })arts glossy green. As subgenus of J. r^Zm in 



A. 0. U. Lists. 



Analysis of Subspecies. 



The stock form. U. S virescens 



The pale desert form. Western U. S v. anthmiyi 



The dark coast form. L. Cala v, frazari 



B. vires'cens. (Lat. virescens, growing green.) Green Heron. Fly-up-the-creek. 

 Chalk-line. No white phase. Adult (? 9 > '» breeding dress: Crown, long soft occipital 

 crest, and lengthened narrow feathers of back, lustrous dark green, sometimes with a bronzy 

 iridescence; dorsal plumes in high jilumage with a glaucous bluish cast. Wing-coverts 

 green, with conspicuous tawny edgings ; neck rich dark i)urplish-chestnut, the throat-line 

 variegated with dusky and white. Under parts mostly dark brownish-ash ; belly variegated 

 with white. Quills and tail greenish-dusky with a glaucous shade ; edge of wing white ; some 

 quills usually white-tipped. Bill greenish-black, much of under mandible yellow ; lores and 

 iris yellow ; legs greenish-yellow. Young : Head less crested ; back witiiout long narrow 

 plumes, but glossy-greenish ; neck merely reddisli-browu ; whole under parts white, varie- 

 gated with tawny and dark brown. Length 16.00-18.00; extent about 25.00; wing 6.50- 

 7.50; bill 2.50; tarsus 2.00; middle toe and claw about the same; tibise bare LOO or less. 

 U. S. and a little beyond (Ontario, Manitoba), abundant in summer; resident in the South, and 

 beyond in the West Indies and Central and northern Soutli America. This is a very pretty and 

 engaging little Heron, in spite of the ridiculous nicknames by which it is so well known to the 

 great unwashed democracy of America. Breeds anywhere in its range, sometimes in heronries 

 with larger species, often by itself in pairs. Nest a platform of twigs, on tree or bush ; rude 

 as a rule, though neatly made nests occur; eggs 3-6, elliptical, 1.37 x 1.12, pale greenish. 



B. V. antho'nyi. (To A. W. Anthony of San Diego, Cal.) Anthony's Green Heron. 

 Like the foregoing; slightly larger; [)aler in color, with the light markings of wings and throat 

 less restricted. A desert firm, from the arid interior of southwestern U. S. ; S. into Mexico. 

 Ardea virescens anthomji Mearns, Auk, July, 1895, p. 257; A. 0. U. Suppl. List, Auk, 

 Jan. 1897, p. 119, No. 201 c, by ern.r f..r 201 /; ; see Auk, Jan. 1899, p. 105. This and the 

 next are included under B. virescens in all former editions of the Key. 



B. V. frazari. (To M. A. Frazar.) Frazar's Green Heron. Larger than B. virescens, 

 on an average, darker and more uniform in color; neck more purplish, its sides as well as the 

 forehead strongly glaucous ; light throat-line more restricted. Wing 7.00; tarsus 2.25; cul- 

 men 2.50. Lower California ; type from vicinity of La Paz. A rdea virescens frazari Brewst. 

 Auk, Jan. 1888, p. 83; A. 0. U. List, 2d ed. 1895, No. 201 a. Bitiorides virescens frazari 

 CoiKS, Key, 4th ed. 1890, p. 905. 



NYCTIC'OR'.VX. (Gr. wKTiKopa^, nuktikora.r, Lat. ni/cticor(t.r, the night-raven, a classic 

 Tiame of the Night Heron of Europe, of which our bird is a subspecies; vv$, gen. wktos. nit.r, 

 ni(/itos, night; Kopa^, cora.r, the raven.) NioiiT Hkrons. Of medium size; length abont 

 24.00. Bill very stout for this family ; culmen imt more th.iu four times depth of bill at base; 

 lateral outlines rather concave ; gonys about straight ; bill, tarsus, and middle toe with claw, of 

 apj)roximately equal lengths. Tarsus reticulate in front below. Tibia- lirietly naked below. 

 Neck comparatively short, like the leirs ; body stout. No peculiar plumes, e.Kcepting 2-3 ex- 

 tremely long filamentous feathers springing from hind head, generally imbricated in one bundle. 



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