Todd: The Birds of the Isle of Pines. 187 



young bird, much tinged with rusty on the upper parts and wing- 

 coverts, shot at Los Indios on October 2. However, he found it rather 

 numerous, but for some reason very shy, in the Cienaga near Sigu- 

 anea in November and April. Mr. Zappey saw a flock at a fresh- 

 water lagoon in the northern part of the island in March, 1902, and 

 two others at Bibijagua. Nothing is known at present regarding its 

 breeding haunts in the island. 



21. Nyctanassa violacea (Linnaeus). Yellow-crowned Night 

 Heron. 



Nycticorax violaceus Poey, Mem. Hist. Nat. Cuba, 1854, 427 (Nueva Gerona, fidt 

 Gundlach). — Cory, Cat. W. Indian Birds, 1892, 90 (I. of Pines, in geog. distr.). — 

 Read, I. of Pines News, VI, Dec. 27, 1913 (I. of Pines; descr.). 



Nyctherodius violaceus Gundlach, Orn. Cubana, 1895, 194 (I. of Pines). 



Nyctanassa violacea Bangs & Zappey, Am. Nat., XXXIX, 1905, 188 (I. of Pines, 

 ex Poey, Cory, and Gundlach). — Read, Oologist, XXX, 1913, 132 ("south 

 coast"). 



"Yellow-throated {sic\ Night Heron" Re.\d, Oologist, XXVIII, 1911, 6 (Nuevas 

 River). 



"Yellow-crowned Night Heron" Read, Oologist, XXVIII, 1911, 13, and XXX. 

 1913, 131 (I. of Pines), 123 (Pine River), 125 (Santa Barbara). 



Six specimens: Los Indios, Majagua River, and Caleta Grande. 



All but two of this series are in ju venal dress, and even these two 

 are not fully mature, as shown by the brownish feathers of the pileum 

 and the dusky tinge of the back. These were secured in late October 

 and early November. The individual from Caleta Grande, although 

 otherwise in immature dress, is acquiring the long white occipital 

 plumes. The series of this species examined shows much variation^ 

 which, however, is quite independent of locality. Needless to add^ 

 I can see no ground for assuming a color-change in the feathers 

 themselves to account for any of this variation, as suggested by 

 Baird, Brewer, & Ridgway {Water Birds of North America, I, 1884, 



63). 



In addition to the localities above quoted, Mr. Link saw this species 

 at Bibijagua on the north coast, while at the western end of the 

 Cienaga, near Siguanea, it was quite common (but very shy) in No- 

 vember, occurring sometimes singly, but more often in small parties^ 

 about the edges of the marsh or in the mangroves. Nothing was 

 learned concerning its breeding haunts or habits. 



