133* BIRDS OF 1LL1&01S. 



There are two strongly marked subgenera, which may be dis- 

 tinguished as follows: 



a 1 . Culmen about as long as the tarsus; gonys nearly straight, and lateral outlines of the 

 bill slightly concave; tarsus but little longer than middle toe; scapulars normal (i. e. 

 broad and blended) Hyctieorax. 



a 1 . Culmen much shorter than tarsus (only a little longer than middle toe); gonys convex, 

 and lateral outlines of bill straight, or sometimes even perceptibly convex; tarsus 

 much longer than middle toe; scapulars elongated, narrow (but not pointed), some- 

 what loose-webbed Nyetanaita. 



SUBGENUS Nycticorax STEPHENS. 



Nycticorax STEPHENS, Shaw's Gen. ZooL xi. 1819, 608. Type, Ardec nycMcrrat LINN. 

 Nyctiardea SWAINS. Classif. B. ii, 1837, 354. Same type. 



SUBGEN. CHAB. Medium-sized Herons of very short thick build, large.'thicit heads, and 

 short tarsi. The plumage exceedingly different in the adult and young, but the sexes sim- 

 ilar. Adults with two or three exceedingly long, thread-like, white occipital plumes. 



Bill very stout, the depth through the base being more than on fourth the culmen; 

 the latter nearly straight for the basal two thirds, then gently curved to the tip; lower edge 

 of the mandibular rami nearly straight; gonys nearly straight, very slightly ascending; 

 tT: axillary tomium decidedly concave, with a very convex outline just forward of the rictus. 

 Mental apex reaching more than half-way from the centre of the eye to the point of the bill, 

 and to beyond the anterior end of the nostril; malar apex falling a little short of the frontal 

 apex. Tarsi a little longer than the middle toe, its scutellce hexagonal in front; lateral 

 toes nearly equal, but the outer the longer; hallux less than half the middle toe; bare 

 portion of tibia shorter than the hallux. Inner webs of two outer primaries distinctly 

 emarginated near the end. Tail of twelve broad, moderately hard, feathers, as in the typ- 

 ical herons. 



Nycticorax nycticorax nsevius (Bodd.) 



BLACK-CBOWNED NIGHT HERON. 



Popular synonyms. Anae lean Black-crowned Night Heron; Quok; Quawk; Quak; Quft 



Bird; Inanite pinto elote (Mexico). 

 Ardea nasvia BODD. TabL P. E. 1783, 56 (ex PL EnL 939). 



Nyctiardea grisea var. nasvia ALLEN, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool. iii, 1872. 182. COUES, 



Key. 1872. 269; Check List. 1873. No. 458; B. N. W. 1874. SOS. 

 Nyctiardea grisea /3 ncevia BIDGW. Orn. 40th Par. 1877. 

 Nyctiardea grisea nania BIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 495. Cou8, 2d Check 



List. 1882. No. 664. 



Nycticorax griseus ncevius B. B. & B. Water B. N. Am. i, 1884.55. 

 Nycticorax nycticorax ncevius ZELKD. Proc. U. 8. Nat. Mus. viii, 1885, 113. A. O. U, 



Check List, 1886. No. 202.-Bn>GW. Man. N. Am. B. 1887,133. 

 Ardea hoactle GMKL. 8. N. i. pt ii.1788, 630. 

 Ardea cana GHEL. t. c. 643. 

 Ardea gardeni GMEL. t. c. 645 (based on Gardenian Night Effron of PENNANT amd 



LATHAM). 



Nyctiardea gardeni BAIBD, B. N. Am. 1858, 678; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 496. 

 Ardea discolor NUTT. Man. ii. 1834, 54. 



