NORTH AMERICAN MARSH BIRDS 157 



me that there was a small breeding colony in a mangrove swamp on 

 the island. The nests were described as "platforms of sticks, placed 

 8 to 10 feet from the ground, on the branches of the mangroves, over- 

 hanging the water." Evidently the nesting habits of this form do 

 not differ materially from those of the other representatives of the 

 species elsewhere. 



Eggs. — There are eight sets of eggs in the Thayer collection, taken 

 by Mr. Brown, on San Jose Island, from June 19 to 26, 1908, and by 

 Manuel Cota, at the same place, between June 19 and July 5, 1909. 

 There are six sets of three eggs and two sets of two eggs. The eggs 

 are similar to those of the snowy egret. The measurements of the 

 22 eggs average 35.4 by 23.7 millimeters; the eggs showing the four 

 extremes measure 43.5 by 28.4, 42.3 by 28.5, 29.7 by 21.2 and 38.7 

 by 17.7 millimeters. 



Very little seems to be known about the habits of this bird, but it 

 probably does not differ materially in behavior from the snowy egret 

 in similar surroundings. 



DISTRIBUTION 



Range. — Known only from Lower California, the adjoining main- 

 land in western Mexico, and southern CaUfornia. This egret has 

 been found breeding only in Lower California (San Jose del Cabo), 

 but is also reported from Guaymas, Sonora, and at Riverside, Cali- 

 fornia. 



Although this race may now be extinct there, it is possible that some 

 of the records mentioned under Egretta c. candidissima, for Lower 

 California and western Mexico might have been this bird had the 

 specimens been available for critical examination. 



Egg dates. — Southern Lower California: 8 records, June 19 to July 5. 



DICHROMANASSA RUFESCENS (Gmelin) 

 REDDISH EGRET 



HABITS 



Although once abundant on the coast and islands of southwestern 

 Florida, this interesting species had practically gone from that region 

 before the time of my first visit in 1903, for we saw only a few scat- 

 tering individuals in the Florida Keys and near Cape Sable. W. E. 

 D. Scott (1887) has given us some idea of the former abundance of 

 this species in Florida. Speaking of a locality in Old Tampa Bay 

 he says: 



Formerly I had seen birds breeding here in great numbers, and reddish egrets 

 had been the most conspicuous feature of these breeding grounds in those days. 

 But now how different! Not a single pair of birds of any kind did I find nesting, 

 and only at rare intervals were any kind of herons to be observed. Not a red- 

 dish egret and only a few frightened and wary Louisiana herons were seen, and 

 these were not breeding. 



92642— 26t 12 



