AUUEID.E - 'Tin: IIKHOXS - ARDEA. 



6 



tlu> nostrils and sli;,'litl.v nntorior to tlif malar apex* Miildlo toe more timn half tliu tarsus, and 

 iibout etiuiil to Ijari' |iorlioii of tiliia ; outer toe reaching,' to ahniit the niiddle of the penultimate 

 piialanx of the middle toe ; inner toe decidedly shorter, reaehinj; only to the second articulation of 

 the middle toe ; hallax a little lon^,'er than the basal phalanx of the outer toe ; claws rather ehort, 



A. herodias 



strongly curved. Front of tarsus with broad, transverse scutellcc, in single series, for upper half. 

 Pileum crested, the feathers of the crown and occiput being elongated, lanceolate, and decurved. 

 Primaries reaching decidedly beyond tertials. Second, third, and fourth quills nearly equal, and 

 longest ; first longer than tifth ; inner webs of outer three slightly siuuated near ends. 



Synopsis of the American Species.' 



Com. Char. Above bluish-i)lumbeous, the penicillate scapular plumes more hoary ; remiges 

 and rectrices slate-color. Lower parts longitudinally strijied with black and white. Young with- 

 out any plumes, and with the colors much duller, the pattern badly defined. 



At Tibia: and border of tin: wiwj purplish-cinnamon or rufous. 



1. A. occideutalis. Pileum and occipital jilunies, with rest of head, white ; forehead streaked 



with black. Sovwtinies whole plumage pure white! C'ulnien, 6.40-6.75; tarsus, 8.00- 

 8.7;") ; wing, I!).()()-21.()0. Hah. Florida to Southern Illinois ; Cuba ; Jamaica. 



2. A. Wardi. Similar to ,1. occideutalis, the white phase apparently undi.stinguishable, but 



colored [jhase combining the head-pattern of A. herodias with light-colored under-parts 

 and large size of "U'iirdemnum." Culmen, 6.50-7.00 ; tarsus, 8.50-9.00; wing, 20.00- 

 ■20.50. Hab. Southwestern Florida. 



3. A. herodias. Pileum and occipital plumes black ; forehead and central feathers of the 



crown white ; culmen, 4.;j0-6.25 ; tarsu.s, 6.00-8.25 ; wing, 17.90-20.00. Hab. North 

 America in general ; Middle America ; Galapagos ; Venezuela ; West Indies. 



1 The terms "mental apex," "malar npex," aiul "frontal apex" are here employed to denote the 

 apices, or points, of the feathering of the liead at the ba.se of the bill. 



* Of the exotic species properly referable to this gcnu.s, we have .seen only A. purpurea, Linn. (Euro- 

 pean). This sccnis to be strictly congeupric as to details of form, except that the claws are much length- 

 ened ; but it has a very difl'erent system of coloration. 



