BIRDS — AKDEIDAE — ARDEA. 



667 



HERODIAS EGRETTA, var. CALIFORNICA, Baird. 



Ch. — Pure white. Larger than //. egretta. Length, 43 inclios ; wing, 17 ; tarsus, 6.70 ; bill, 5. 

 Hab. — Coast of southern California, and perhaps the Rio Grande of Texas. 



This bird is very similar to Herodias egretta, but is considerably larger ; the tibiae are bare for 

 half their length. The feathers of the back are not fully grown out, so that I can make no 

 comparison in this respect, but the scapulars are more elongated and plume-like than in the 

 other species, and there is a tendency to the same along the belly. The bill appears of a more 

 brilliant yellow, dusky only near the tip above. 



It is possible that this may be only a variety of the H. egretta, but the size is so much greater 

 as almost to warrant its specific separation. 



List of specimens. 



ARDEA, Linn. 



Mrdta, Linn. Syst. Nat. I, 1735, Type A. cinerea. 



Ch. — Bill very thick ; culmen nearly straight ; gonys ascending, its tip more convex than that of culmen. Middle toe 

 more than half the tarsus ; tibia bare for nearly or quite one-half. Claws short, much curved ; outer toe longest. Tarsus 

 breadly scutellatc anteriorly. 



Occiput with a few elongated occipital feathers. Scapulars elongate lanceolate j as long as the secondaries. No dorsal 

 plumes. Tail of twelve bruad stiffened feathers. Back of neck well feathered. Size very large. Colors plumbeous; 

 streaked beneath. 



The two North American species of the genus as restricted, are distinguished as follows : 

 Common characters. — Above bluish ash ; the primaries and outer secondaries blackish plum- 

 beous. Head white and black. Middle of throat white, streaked with black and rufous. Edge 

 of the wing and the tibia rufous. 



Bill, 5.50. Tarsus, 6.50. Middle toe two-thirds the tarsus. Tibia bare for about one- 

 third. Under parts, except crissum, black ; the middle of the belly broadly streaked 

 with white. Neck light cinnamon brownish. Head, with the crest black ; the 



forehead white A. herodias. 



Bill, 6.50. Tarsus, 9. Middle toe not two-thirds the tarsus. Tibia bare for nearly 

 half. Under parts white ; the feathers of the sides of breast and belly streaked black 

 and white. Neck ashy. Head, with the crest white ; the forehead streaked with 

 blackish A. wilrdemannii. 



