60 



BIRDS OF PENNSYLVANIA. 



Ardea candidissima GMEL. 



Snowy Heron ; Little White Egret. 



DESCRIPTION. 



Adults in the breeding season have long fine hair-like occipital feathers ; the long 

 plumes on back are frequently curved upward at ends, which reach to or a little 

 beyond the ends of tail ; plumes on lower neck similar but not curved. Plumage 

 in both sexes, and at all ages, entirely white ; bill black, yellow at base ; lores, eyes 

 and posterior part of tarsus, yellow, rest of legs black ; length about 24 inches ; ex- 

 tent about 38 inches. In young birds the occipital feathers are slightly developed, 

 and they also lack the long plumes of back, and jugulum. Old birds when not in 

 breeding dress, have generally at all seasons, the occipital crests well developed, 

 but lack the hair-like plumes on back and lower neck. 



Habitat. Temperate and tropical America, from Long Island and Oregon south 

 to Buenos Ayres ; casual on the Atlantic coast to Nova Scotia. 



This beautiful heron is most plentiful in the southern states, where 

 it breeds in company with other species. Solitary individuals are 

 sometimes found in this locality during" the late summer or early 

 autumn. This egret is much less frequently met with in Pennsylvania 

 than the last. In the counties of Crawford and Erie, Messrs. Geo. B. 

 Sennett, of Erie city, and H. C. Kirkpatrick, of Meadville, have found 

 the Snowy Heron only as a very rare and irregular visitor. Prof. H. 

 Justin Roddy, writing to me July 29, 1887, from Landisburg, Perry 

 county, says, " July 27th I secured here a very fine specimen of the 

 American Egret (A. egretta); the first I have ever seen in this county. 

 I have a number of times seen the Snowy Heron (A. candidissima) in 

 this locality." Occasional stragglers of this species have been met with 

 in Lehigh and Northampton counties, by Dr. John W. Detwiller, of 

 Bethlehem. Mr. J. F. Kocher, of South Whitehall, Lehigh county ; Dr. 

 Geo. B. Boss, of Lebanon, Lebanon county ; Dr. Walter Van Fleet, 

 Benovo, Clinton county; Jonas Stern, Kutztown; D. Frank Keller, 

 Beading, Berks county ; George Miller and Casper Loucks, York, York 

 county ; Dr. A. C. Treichler, Lancaster county ; M. J. Webster, Madi- 

 sonville, Lackawanna county, and Dr. I. F. Everhart, of Scranton, Lacka- 

 wanna county, all report this heron in their respective counties as a 

 rare and irregular straggler. 



Nuttall says: "Its food, as usual, consists of small crabs, worms, 



