44 PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA No. 12 



type being an almost adult male taken August 26, 1894. It is similar to the 

 mainland bird, but smaller, and the describer says that in addition to the type 

 locality, it probably occurs on Santa Cruz, San Nicolas, Anacapa and Catalina. 

 Now I am very familiar with the Coronados Islands,. having lived on them for 

 as long as two months at a time, and I am morally certain that no herons breed 

 there. Besides, I have seen one as far as five miles from the islands, flying to- 

 wards the mainland. In addition. G. Willett (MS) says that he has seen them 

 in flight between Anacapa and the mainland. If they fly back and forth from 

 these two islands, it is reasonable to suppose that they do the same from the oth- 

 ers, and if this is the case it is hard to believe that an island subspecies exists. 



I have before me two Great Blue Herons from the islands, one from the col- 

 lection of A. van Rossem, shot by him on San Clemente, September 30, 1908, the 

 other, from my own collection, taken on Catalina by H. Wright, May 25, 1908. 

 Although they are both males, and, as far as I can tell, near the age of Mr. Ober- 

 holser's type, I can see no difference to warrant separation of the island bird. 

 Following are the average measurements of the eleven specimens of A. h. liyper- 

 onca from the Pacific slope of California as given by Mr. Oberholser in his orig- 

 inal description of that subspecies, his measurements of the type of oligista, and 

 the average of my two island specimens. 



Wing- Tail Culmen Tarsu.s Toe' 



11 A. h. hyperonca 485.7 184.7 142.7 180.5 107.2 



ty Vie, A. h. oligista 433 187 149 184 101 



2 skins from islands 492 182.5 148.7 182.3 113 



'Middle toe without claw. 



Some allowance should of course be made for two different people taking 

 measurements, but even with a generous margin to allow for variation in this, it 

 M'ill be seen that my two birds have even longer wings and middle toes than the 

 mainland ones, while the shortness of these two members was the chief claim to 

 subspecific rank of the type of oligista. 



C. B. Linton (MS) saw several Great Blue Herons at San Nicolas during 

 January, 1911, and I have seen an occasional individual at Catalina at different 

 times of the year. H. Wright (9) records one at Anacapa, July 5, 1912, and A. 

 van Rossem and I saw a number at Santa Cruz in April, 1911. 



In the vicinity of the islands these birds spend most of their time perched 

 on the kelp beds waiting for fish. The kelp sinks under them to a certain ex- 

 tent, and they appear as if their legs were but half the length that they really 

 are. Those that breed upon the islands build their nests in niches of the cliffs. 



51. Butorides virescens anthonyi (Mearns) 



Anthony Green Heron 

 Butorides virescens anthonyi (1) Oberholser, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., xlii, 1912, p. 543. 



H. C. Oberholser (MS) informs me that his record for this bird on the Cor- 

 onados (1) is based on a specimen taken in that locality by A. W. Anthony, May 

 11, 1885. C. B. Linton (MS) tells me that he also secured a l)ird on Santa Cruz 

 Island. 



