Recent Literature. 183 



niida;. Five families of American Herodiones are recognized, namely, 

 Cancromidce, Ardeidce, Ciconiidce, Ibididce, and Plataleidce, of each of which 

 a concise diagnosis is given. The Ardeidce are treated so far in detail as to 

 give the characters of the genera, and a monograph of the American spe- 

 cies of the genus Ardea. These are four in number, Ardea occidentalism A. 

 herodias, A. cinerea ("accidental in Greenland"), and A. cocoi (South 

 American). Of these four species detailed descriptions of the difl'erent 

 phases of plumage are given, with copious tables of bibliographical ref- 

 erences. The A. wiirdevuinni of Baird, which has been a puzzle to orni- 

 thologists for twenty years, is considered to be the " blue phase " of A. 

 occidentalis, nearly ten pages (nearly one third of the paper) being devoted, 

 to a discussion bearing upon the character of A. " tciirdevianni." A. occi- 

 dentalis is thus added to the series of " dichromatic " species of Ardeidce. 

 This conclusion rests at present mainly on theoretical grounds. After 

 referring to dichromatism as exhibited in several other species of Herons, 

 and in some Hawks and Owls, Mr. Eidgway says, " Who then, in view of 

 these facts, can offer reasonable objection to the theory that Ardea occiden- 

 talis is likewise represented by two distinct phases of plumage, of which 

 the white is by far the more common, the normal or colored phase (' luiir- 

 demanni ') being very rare — perhaps becoming extinct ? " 



As shown by the species already cited as composing the genus Ardea, 

 this genus is again restricted to rather narrow limits, the American spe- 

 cies of the subfamily Ardeince alone being distributed into fourteen genera, 

 of Avhich two are new. Among the North American we have Herodias, 

 Garzetta, Florida, and Butorides again reinstated, while the Demiegretta of 

 Baird is divided into Hydranassa and Dichromanassa, the last a new genus 

 with the Ardea rufa of authors as type. The other new genus is Sijrigma 

 (== Btiphus, Bon. 1855, nee Boie, 1826), Avith the South American Ardea 

 sibillatrix as type. 



The Cico«uVZfE (of which the Wood Ibis is the only North American rep- 

 resentative) is treated more briefly. A new genus (Euxenura), however, 

 is instituted for the Ciconia maguari (Auct.) or the South American Stork, 

 based chiefly on the remarkable characters of the tail (illustrated by an 

 excellent figure), in which the lower coverts are elongated and stiff'ened, so 

 as to resemble rectrices, the tail proper being short and deeply forked. — 

 J. A. A. 



Reichexow's Review of the Heroxs and their Allies. — Dr. 

 Reichenow's order, " Streitvdgel," or " Gressores," * embraces the ordinary 



* Systematische Uebersicht der Schreitvogel ((r/rs.sores), einernatiirlichen, die 

 Tbidce, Ciconiidce, Phcenicnptcridce, Scopidce, Balcenicipidcc, und Ardeidce umfas- 

 senden Ordnung. Von Dr. Ant. Reichenow, Assistent am kgl. zoolog. Museum 

 in Berlin. Journal fiir Ornithologie, XXV Jahrgaiig, pp. 113-171, 225-278, 

 pll. I, II. April aud July, 1877. 



