THE BIED3 OF HAITI AND THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC 79 



snowy heron, in the dark phase has the head and neck rufous chest- 

 nut and the remainder of the body plumage dark bluish slate. About 

 thirty plumes that grow from the back and extend beyond the tail 

 are slaty, tipped more or less with whitish. There is also a white 

 phase in which the bird is entirely white except occasionally for a 

 slight grayish mottling at the tips of the primaries. The specimen 

 secured by Doctor Abbott had a total length of 715 mm. and a wing 

 measurement of 320 mm. The dark phase is readily recognized but 

 the white form, formerly considered a distinct species is sometimes 

 identified with difficulty. In the hand it is found that the reddish 

 egret has the tarsus twice as long as the middle toe without the claw 

 while in the egret, snowy heron and little blue heron the tarsus is 

 decidedly less than twice the middle toe without the claw. This 

 measurement is sufficient to determine any white specimen of the 

 present species. 



HTDRANASSA TRICOLOR RUFICOLLIS (Gosse) 

 LOUISIANA HERON, GARZA, CRABIER, QTTOCX 



Egretta ruficollis Gosse, Birds Jamaica, 1847, p. 338 (Jamaica). 



Demi-Aigrette, Descoubtllz, Voy. Nat., vol. 2, 1809, pp. 228-229 (recorded 

 from Haiti). 



Ardea leucogastra, Tippenhauer, Die Insel Haiti, 1892, p. 323 (listed). 



Hydranassa tricolor, Beebe, Zool. Soc. Bull., vol. 30, 1927, p. 139 ; Beneath 

 Tropic Seas, 1928, pp. 67, 70, 108, 219 (near Port-au-Prince). 



Hydranassa tricolor ruficollis, Peters, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., vol. 61, 1917, 

 p. 397 (Mouth of Rio Piedra). — Bond, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, vol. 

 80, 1928, p. 490 (Etang Miragoane, Trou Caiman, Port-de-Paix, Fort Liberie, 

 Gonave Island). — Danforth, Auk, 1929, p. 360 (Monte Cristi, Laguna del 

 Salodillo, specimens). 



Resident; common in the mangrove swamps and lagoons of the 

 coast, about the salt lakes of the Cul-de-Sac plain, and the fresh 

 water lagoons of the lowlands. 



Though the Louisiana Heron is fairly common in both republics 

 it has been seldom reported in print. Peters recorded one seen near 

 the mouth of the Rio Piedra, D. R. on March 16, 1916. Doctor 

 Abbott secured specimens near Sanchez February 13, 1919, and at 

 the eastern end of Lake Enriquillo on October 5, 1919. Wetmore 

 observed one on the Arroyo Barrancota, May 8, 1927, and others on 

 the islands known as Cayos de los Pajaros at the entrance of San 

 Lorenzo Bay May 11. It is possible that they breed with other 

 herons at this latter locality. Danforth in 1927 saw them at Monte 

 Cristi, Laguna del Salodillo and Vasquez. 



In Haiti Abbott collected specimens on Cayemite Island January 

 5, 1918, on the Etang Saumatre March 6, 1918, at Trou Caiman 

 April 7, 1920, and at Port a l'Ecu June 28, 1917. The bird from 



