132 ARDEID^. 



Allen, Bull. Ntcit. Oni. Club, v. p. 169 (1880 : Santa Lucia) ; Coiy, 

 B. Bahamas, p. 173 (1880) ; id. List B. West Indies, p. 28 (1885) ; 

 id. Auk, iv. p. 96 (1887 : Martinique) ; Scl. P. Z. S. 1889, p. 326 

 (Dominica), p. 395 (Santa Lucia). 



Nyctherodius violaceus, Beichenb. Av. Si/st. Nat. p. xvi (1852) ; Bp. 

 Consj). Av. ii. p. 142 (^1855) ; Baird, B. N. Amer. p. 679 (1858) ; 

 Moore, P. Z. S. 1859, p. 63 (Omoa) ; A. ^ B. Netvton, Ibis, 1859, 

 p. 262 (St. Croix) ; Cass. Proc. Phil. Acad. 1860, p. 379 (St. 

 Thomas) ; March, op. cit. 1864, p. 65 (Jamaica) ; Dresser, Ibis, 

 1866, p. 32 (S. Texas) ; Gu7idl. Bepert. Fisico-Nat. Cuba, i. p. 351 

 (1866) ; Laicr. Ann. Lye. N. Y. viii. p. 98 (1867 : Sombrero) ; 

 Gundl. J. f. O. 1875, p. 311 (Cuba) ; id. Anal. Soc. Esp. Hist. Nat. 

 vii. p. 363 (1878: Porto Rico) ; Merrill, Pr. U.S. Nat. Mus. i. 

 p. 165 (1878 : Fort Brown, Texas, breeding) ; Bidgic. Pr. U.S. 

 Nat. Mus. iu.Tp. 179 (1880) ; id. Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, vii. pp. 18, 

 22 (1882 : Indiana, breeding) ; Belding, Pr. U.S. Nat. Mus. v. 

 p. 644 (1882 : Lower Cal.), p. 548 (San Jose) ; Bailey, Bull. Nutt. 

 Orn. Club, viii. p. 42 (1883 : Georgia, breeding) ; Nutting, Pr. U.S. 

 Nat. Mus. vi. p. 379 (1883 : Nicaragua) ; Baird, Brewer, Sf Bidgw. 

 Water-BirdsN. Amer.i. p. 61 (1884) ; Zeledon, Pr. U.S. Nat. Mus. 

 Yiii. p. 113 (1885 : Costa Rica) ; Dreiv, Auk, ii. p. 18 (1885 : Co- 

 lorado) ; Wells, List B. Grenada, p. 9 (1886) ; Salvin, Ibis, 1886, 

 p. 170 (British Guiana). 



Nycterodius violaceus, J. H. Blasius,Ibis, 1861, p. 294; Cones, Check- 

 list N. Amer. B. p. 107 (1882) ; id. Key N. Amer. B. 2nd ed. 

 p. 663 (1884). 



Adult male in hreeding-phimage. General colour above slaty blue, 

 all the feathers of the upper surface longitudinally centred with 

 black, including the elongated scapular plumes, some of the dorsal 

 feathers inclining to hoary grey on the margins ; lower back and 

 rump uniform slaty blue ; upper tail-coverts dusky with slaty-grey 

 margins ; wing-coverts slaty blue centred with black, inclining to 

 hoary grey on the median and greater series ; bastard-wing, primary- 

 coverts, and quills dark slate-colour, the former with narrow whitish 

 edgings ; inner secondaries like the back ; tail-feathers dark slate- 

 colour, narrowly margined with hoary grey ; head crested ; centre of 

 crown pure white ; rest of the crown, cheeks, and upper throat black, 

 joining on the nape and extending a little way down the hind-neck ; 

 the elongated feathers on the nape black, but having two long white 

 plumes also : a broad white band from below the eye across the ear- 

 coverts ; under surface of body from the middle of the throat down- 

 wards, as well as the neck, slaty blue, inclining to whitish on the 

 abdomen and lavender-grey on the thighs and under tail-coverts ; 

 axillaries and under wing-coverts slaty blue : " bill deep black, the 

 lower basal portion of the mandible in some specimens greenish 

 yellow ; lores and eyelids greenish yellow ; feet duU yellowish 

 green, the large scutellte and the claws dusky ; iris pale orange " 

 (R. Bidcjwaii). Total length 22 inches, culmen 3, wing 1 1-6, tail 4-4, 

 tarsus 3-8. 



Adult female in breeding-plumage. Similar to the male, but some- 

 what browner, and with all the long nape-plumes white : " bill and 

 naked lores wholly slate-black, the eyelids similar, but tinged with 

 green anteriorly ; feet pale olive-bufif, the large scutellse of the tarsus 



