FAMILY ARDEIDAE IO9 



small compared to the size of the bird, with 2 eggs grayish blue 

 in color, dotted and blotched lightly with dull red. These measured 

 48x65 mm. (Guimaraes Sobrinho, Rev, Mus. Paulista, vol. 17, 

 1932, p. 918). 



Rossi (Univ. Buenos Aires Fac. Cienc. Ex. Nat., Contr. Cient. 

 Ser. Zool., vol. 1, no. 2, 1958, pp. 38-41) in a study of the breeding 

 of this race in the zoological gardens in Buenos Aires, records 14 

 nestings each with 3 eggs. 



He describes the ground color as "celeste claro" (clear sky blue), 

 marked with dots and small blotches of brown and violet. Measure- 

 ments in 12 eggs were 58.3-61.2x44.1-45.8 mm. 



The species sometimes is called garza vaca or pdjaro vaca (or in 

 Venezuela vaco), through a fancied resemblance of its calls to the 

 lowing of cattle. 



TIGRISOMA SALMONI Sclater and Salvin: Salmon's Tiger-Bittern; 

 Garza Tigre Oscura 



Figure 18 



Tigrisoma salmoni P. L. Sclater and Osbert Salvin, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 

 June 1875, p. 38, fig. 2. (Medellin, Antioquia, G>Iombia.) 



A tiger-bittern with bill shorter and heavier at the point than that of 

 T. I. lineatum; adult blacker. 



Description. — Length 560 to 660 mm. Adult, similar to Tigrisoma 

 I. lineatum, but head and neck black, banded narrowly with cinna- 

 mon-buff. 



Immature, also like T. I. lineatum, but more extensively white on 

 the lower surface, including the under wing coverts. 



An adult female taken on February 28, 1964, on the north fork of 

 the Rio Pucro, Darien, had the iris yellow ; loral area black, except 

 for the upper margin and the area immediately in front of the eye, 

 which are bright yellow ; rest of bare area above and behind eye 

 green, including the posterior margin of the eyelids; central section 

 of the edge of the upper eyelid black ; tip of bill horn color ; rest 

 of maxilla black, except for the cutting edge from below the nostril 

 to the gape, which is yellowish green, and a narrow margin on the 

 nasal operculum which is dull green ; line of the gonys and lower 

 edge of the side of the mandibular rami yellowish green, brighter 

 toward gape; rest of side of mandible black; bare skin at base of 

 mandible and on sides of throat bright yellow ; crus, posterior face 

 of tarsus, and lower part of sides of toes dull green ; front of tarsus 

 and top of toes dull fuscous brown ; claws greenish neutral gray, be- 

 coming yellowish at tips. 



