98 REPORT OF NEW JERSEY STATE MUSEUM. 



Very rare straggler. 



Ord 1 states that Mr. Thomas Say, on May 7th, 1817, "received from 

 Mr. Gram, of Great Egg Harbor, a fine specimen" of this Ibis. This 

 specimen was figured by Bonaparte, and was possibly the type of his 

 Ibis Ordi. 



The only other record is one mentioned by Turnbull, that was shot in 

 1866 by Mr. John Krider, below Philadelphia. Krider's statement that 

 "the bird is often shot in September on the marshes of the Delaware 

 River; when shooting rail I have seen as many as four killed in a 

 day," 2 can hardly be taken seriously. 



Family ARDEID-ffi. 



THE HERONS AND BITTERNS. 



The members of this family are long-legged, long-necked, wading 

 birds with a powerful bill and a well-developed hind toe, placed on a 

 level with the others, so that the foot is used in grasping. The Herons 

 are arboreal in their nesting habits, usually forming large communi- 

 ties or "rookeries," while the Bitterns live in pairs in swamps of reeds 

 and cat-tails. They all feed upon frogs, small reptiles and fish, which 

 they spear in the shallow water. When flying, their long legs are 

 stretched out behind, while the head is drawn back on the shoulders. 

 The nests and eggs of all our Herons are of the same character, differ- 

 ing only in size. 



a. Plumage of upper parts slaty-blue, gray or bronze green. 



6. Size, large ; wing, 18.50. GREAT BLUE HERON, p. 101 



&6. Size, medium ; wing under 13. 



c. Crown bluish-slate or purplish. 



d. Neck similar. LITTLE BLUE HERON, p. 105 



dd. Neck with white and rufous feathers. 



LOUISIANA HERON, p. 105 

 cc. Crown streaked with buff. 



d. Wings plain gray. BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERON, p. 107 



dd. Wings bronze-green. GREEN HERON, p. 106 



ccc. Crown white. YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT HERON, p. 108 



1 Jour. Acad. Nat. Sci., Phila., I., p. 53. 



2 Field Notes, p. 60. 



