666 Report of State Geologist. 



UkM'S XVCTICORAX J^TKIMIRNS. 



a^. Hill about as long as tarsus; gonys nearly straight. Subgonus Nycticorax. 



N. nycticorax neevius (Bodd.). 72 

 o*. l^ill much shorter than tareus; gonys convex. 



Stibgenus \yctinassa Stejneger. N. violaceus (Linn.). 73 



Siibsi'iius Nycticohav. 



*72. (202). Nycticorax nycticorax naevius (Bodd.). 



Black-crowned Night Heron. 

 SyuoMVMis, QiAWK, 8ijiA\vK, Qr.v-Huu). 



Adult. — Crown, scapiihirs and interscapulars, very dark glossy- 

 green; general plumage, bluish-gray, more or less tinged with lilac; 

 forehead, throat line and most under parts, whitish; two or three oc- 

 cipital plumes about 8.00 long, white; bill, black; lores, greenish; 

 eyes, red; feet, yellow. Young. — Very different, lacking the plumes; 

 grayish-brown; paler below, extensively speckled with white; quills, 

 chocolate-brown, white-tipped. 



Length, about 23.00-36.00; wing, 11.00-13.80; bill, 3.80-3.10; tarsus, 

 3.10-3.40. 



Eanqe. — America, Falkland Islands and Chili nortli to Manitoba 

 and Ontario. Breeds north to limit of its range. Winters from Gulf 

 States south. 



Nest, of sticks, usually in trees; sometimes in colonies. JSggs, 4-6; 

 pale greenish-blue; 3.01 by 1.47. «• 



Eegular migrant and summer resident. Breeds locally in north- 

 ern part of the State in some numbers, in colonies, by themselves or 

 with other herons. 



They arrive in the spring about the time of the la^t species. The 

 earliest date I have comes from its breeding ground, Liverpool, Ind., 

 April 10, 1897 (Parker). This indicates that some, at least, pro- 

 ceed straight to tlieir heronries and others follow along more leisurely. 

 The following dates give tJhe time of its first appearance in Indiana 

 for a number of years: Carroll County, April 30, 1878 (Evermann); 

 Brookville, April 38, 1883; ]\farion County, April 18, 1884 (Noe); 

 Brookville, May 6, 1885; English Lake, May 6, 1888 (Deane); Dekalb 

 County, April 39, 1893 (Mrs. Iline); Greensburg, April 14, 1894 

 (Shannon). 



The migration is over early in ]\Iay, and by the latter part of that 

 month nests can be found, although some of them continue building 

 well into June. There is a heronry where they breed at English Lake, 

 (Doane.) Two nests were found there May 35 and 26, 1889, and June 



