228 HERONS AND BITTERNS 



202. Nycticorax nycticorax nsevijis (Bodd.). BLACK - CROWNED 

 NIGHT HERON. Ads. Forehead, lores, neck and underparts white or 

 whitish; crown, upper back and scapulars glossy, greenish black; lower 

 back, wings and tail ashy gray; legs and feet yellow; lores greenish; two or 

 three white rounded occipital plumes about 8*00 in length. Im. Upper- 

 parts grayish brown, the feathers streaked or with wedge-shaped spots of 

 white or buffy; outer web of primaries pale rufous; underparts white, 

 streaked with blackish. L., 24'00; W., 12'00; Tar., 3'20; B., 3'00. 



Range. N. and S. Am. Breeds from n. Ore., s. Wyoming, s. Man., n. 

 Que., and N. S. s. to Patagonia; winters from n. Calif, and Gulf States 

 southward; casual in winter n. to Mass, and s. Ills. 



Washington, not uncommon S. R., occasional in winter. Long Island, 

 S. R., Apl. 12-Sept. 29; a few winter. Ossining, common S. R., Apl. 6-Oct. 

 20. Cambridge, formerly P. R., now found sparingly chiefly in late sum- 

 mer and early fall; Apl. IG-Nov. 1. N. Ohio, occasional in summer. Glen 

 Ellyn, quite common S. R., Apl. 8-Oct. 15. SE. Minn., uncommon S. R., 

 May 15. 



Nest, of sticks, in colonies, in the upperparts of tall trees, sometimes in 

 bushes or on the ground. Eggs, 3-6, pale, dull blue, 2*00 x 1*40. Date, 

 San Mateo, Fla., Mch. 29; Chester Co., Pa., May 3; Ossining, N. Y., May 7. 



These birds live in colonies composed sometimes of thousands of 

 pairs. Their day begins after sunset, when they leave their roosts and 

 start for their feeding-grounds. Occasionally they utter a loud, hoarse 

 quawk, the origin of their common name; and looking up we may 

 catch a glimpse of them hurrying through the gloom. During the 

 nesting-season the demands of the young force them to feed both by 

 day and night. 



1900. CHAPMAN, F. M., Bird Studies with a Camera, 76-85 (nesting on 

 L.I.). 



203. Nyetanassa violacea (Linn.). YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT HERON. 

 Ads. Crown white, generally washed with buffy; ear-coverts white; rest of 

 head and throat black; neck, breast and belly blue-gray; back the same; 

 the lengthened interscapulars, scapulars and wing-coverts streaked with 

 black ; two or three black and white rounded occipital plumes ; lores greenish 

 yellow; legs greenish. Im. Crown black, the feathers streaked with white 

 or buffy; rest of upperparts, including wing-coverts, fuscous-brown with 

 wedge-shaped buffy or white spots; primaries dark bluish slate-color without 

 rufous; underparts white or buffy streaked with blackish. L., 23*00; W., 

 12-00; Tar., 3'75; B., 3'00. 



Remarks. Young birds bear a general resemblance to those of the pre- 

 ceding species, but differ in being darker, in having the head darker than the 

 back, and the primaries without rufous. 



Range. Warm temperate and tropical Am. Breeds from s. L. Calif., 

 Kans., s. Ills., s. Ind., and S. C. s. to Brazil and Peru; casual n. to Colo., 

 Ont., Mass., Maine, and N. S.; winters from s. L. Calif., and s. Fla., 

 southward. 



Washington, A. V., one record, Aug. 1901. Long Island, three records. 

 Cambridge, A. V., one record, July. 



Nest, a platform of sticks, in pairs or small colonies, generally on a 

 branch over water. Eggs, 4-5, pale dull blue, 1*95 x 1*45. Date, San Mateo, 

 Fla., Apl. 2; aoast, S. C., Apl. 20. 



This is a less common species than the preceding. It nests in pairs 

 along the borders of wooded streams and is also found nesting in asso- 

 ciation with other Herons. 



