IChS 



WARD'S HERON. 



of tlie bronchial tubes.) The tyinpanifonus themselves are also very thin, and appear much mure capable 

 of vibration than in the adult. ,. , . ■ , 



A peculiar feature in this specimen which I have never seen ui any other bii'd is a singular sac which 

 lav directly on the lower portion of the ki<lneys. It is pear shaped, mensuring about l.GO by .70, with the 

 walls about .18 thick and made up of numerous oval glands about .O.j by .0-t. From those glands exudes a 

 thin whitish fluid. The sac opens at its small end directly into the cloaca and I cannot find that it commu- 

 nicated by any duct or opening of any kind with any other organ. At fig. -tit, A, I have given a life size 

 sketch of "this" singular organ with the cl laca and a portion of the intestine. A is the sac with the glands 

 indicated on the upper portion only. B, the cloaca, D, the intestine. E, the eoecum or the rudiment of it. 

 A space of a little over 2.50 intervenes at the bruken space which I have left between D and E. I have at 

 present no idea of what the functions of this peculiar sac with its accompanying gland are. 



As in most members of the family the stomach of the Bittern is furnished with a pyloric lobe, which is 

 furnished with a closing valve. At F, fig. 40, 1 give a life size sketch of the pyloric end of the stomach of the 

 young male Bittern with its lobe. H, is the stomach, K the pyloric lobe. The closing valve occurs between 

 theintestineand the stomach and consists of a thickened portion of the intestine being pushed forward so 

 as to come in contact with the opposite wall, which is also somewhat thickened. At L I have given a section 

 of this valve. A, is the valve, B, the opposite wall of the intestines. 



I have said in the foregoing article that I have not found any 

 of the muscles named in any other species of heron, but in a 

 young Little Green Heron taken in Newtonvillo. August 1st, TSS'l, I 

 did find the rudiments of the occipital vocal muscles. They are thin 

 straps, extending from the occiput back to nearly the first vertebral 

 joint and are thus about .r,5 long. See fig. 41, here I have given 

 a life size cut of these rudimentary membranes. II is the back of the 

 head, A, A, the occipital vocal muscles (in this case probably fuutiou- 

 less), and B the first vertebra of the neck. 



Fig. 41. H, Back of head of Little 

 Green Heron. A, A, rudiments of 

 occipital vocal muscles. B, upper 

 neck vertebrae. 



ARDEA WARDI. 

 Ward's Heron. 



DESCRIPTION. 



Sp. Cii. Quite similar to A. herodias, but a little larger, with a larger, heavier bill. The neck and 

 sides of the head are pale cinnamon, often nearly white. The black line on side is broken into stripes ; 

 and the intervening space is less heavily streaked with black. The loral region is dark brown with a pea 

 green stripe, running through it, which does not, however, come in contact with either bill nor eye. Bill 

 nearly yellow. 



OBSERVATIONS. 



Distinguished at once from the Great Blue Heron by the whitish color of the sides of head and neck 

 and by the yellow bill. It is said to have a white phase of plumage. 



DIMENSIONS. 



Length, 48.00 : stretch, 75.60; wing, 20.00; tail, 7.75 ; bill, .5.!)0 : tarsus, 5.90. 



