

AUDKin.E - TIIK IlKFlONrt - AUDKA. 



11 



lu'hcs ill 



1 .1. mi,. 



' was It'll 

 I tlock (I I 

 I' varifty, 

 'his. \\>' 

 mil iilidiit 

 it't'iiil ami 

 iH'd to lie 

 III a t't'W 

 vn-y part, 



iboiit Hilli- 

 ng' witliiu 

 (iT ohst'i- 

 ilicaiii ami 

 ■drcaiiiiM's. 

 on. Tiu' 

 Hhtcr ami 

 li'oiis, ami 

 lipcr iiaits 

 w an asliv 

 , ho would 



in gencriil 

 that this 



1' llt'l'dllS, 



; but its 



ocoui'n'd 



a youiit,' 



laiicod til 



led at it 



I sconicil 



ery near. 



Dr. Thcsi' 



)\vard the 



uious. 



Bay, Soutli- 



talis ?), but 

 y.e (culuu'ii, 



'xpcrience nf 

 4. " JFUrdc- 



«,V)-7.()n inrlipn ; tnr«ns H .'i(M).(H) imlicn), linliltr ({fiii'ml Lolniulinn, and (iti ilrlwl Hkiii) li^'lit 

 liMwii iiiMltiul of black K-^jh. Diiliroiimlic ; llii' wliiU- itliiwi! iH'iiin iiid;-tiiiKui*lml)lf fnuii tliul of 

 A. ofiiilmlidiH (.'). 



Aihilt i (No. H-2,:\-2\), U. 8. Nut .Miii., O.VNtcr l»<iy, Kloiidii, Manli, ImhI ; ClmrliH W. Ward) ; 

 Iliiid wliilf, willi tliu Hidi'H i>{ till' cidUii ami iiitiiv ni(i|iut ( iinlinliii;,' llii' liii^-tlicinil |i|iuiic.'«) 

 dr.'p lilaik ; neck lavi'inlrr-niay (much liniilcr lliaii in liif ly\n' nf ll'ihili iiniiiiii), ihv iDic-iuTk 

 wliitf, lliirkly stivakid with Mack lor the iowir Iwn tinrds ; juj,'iilar iiIiiiiii'm ciii.ljy wiiiti-, tlicii 

 li'iif^lliciicd laiH'iinj,' iiiirliiiii culinly hd. rpiicr Hintacc niiit'iinii liliii-li ipliinilM'im", the l(ii;,'tliciiiMl 

 MiMimlar iiliiim-t Imaiy wliilidi or ludc hilvciy ^lav. V\>\\i.v \>ivn^\ uniforiii lilack ; alKloiufii and 

 JMWcr lircat-l while, lallicr imlistimtly stifakcd with dark nmy ; mud r»'K'i<'ii ini.xi'd Muck and 

 white, in liin;;iludinal da^lii'^ (tlic lilack ratlin- ini'dnniinatiii^,') ; ciisHniii iniinaciilatc imic while. 

 Tibiiu iiiiilbnn li;;hl cinnuimin ; ed-e ufthe win^,' (i"<iieciallv ni'ar the l>i.nd) dei|pei- cinnaiiiou, hut 

 thin much ini.\L'd with white tnwunl the Iiuhch of the i|imI1m ; lining of the wiii;{, M.\illur!<, niden, 



and llallk^<, imifiinn iihiinl n^. liill, aiipareiilly, entirely olivuceoiis-yellow ; naked [lortion of 



tiliiiu very jiale lnown (eviilently yellowish or llesh-colored in lile) ; tarsi lij,'ht liiowii (ulivaceoiiH 

 in life I), darker in front ; toes li^jlit hiowii. Win;,', :i<)..''i(» ; cnlnien, (I.Tri ; dt'iith of hill through 

 nostril, l.l(» ; tarsus, S.T.') ; miiiille toe, .'"i.io ; naked imttion of tiliiie, ,'1.50. 



Mr. W. II. Collins, of Detroit, who kindly ]ire>enteil the s|ieiinieii descvilied ahovi; to the Na- 

 tional Museum, has sent measureinents of two other s|)eciniens, one in his own jiossession, the 

 other inoinited fi/C Mr. Ward. .\s niay he seen helow, they a;,'ree closely in tlilnelisions with the 

 type, tliwHlireasiirements hein;;, respectively, win;,', :J(i.(H>-2(i..')0 ; culinen, (!..")0-7.(Kl ; depth <if hill 

 tlirmyh nostril, 1.2.') ; tarsus, H.7.">-!t.<Mi; niiddh^ toe, r).i,')-.'i.4r> ; nuked portion of tihiu, .').".'>-(t.(Ki. 

 ^' 



Tho lollowing tacts in ndation to this apiiarciitly distinct species oi- race of large 

 Heron is siilistantially the same as that printed in the original account cited above. 

 The specimens desciihed were olitaineil liy Mr. Cliarles W. Ward, of I'oiitiac, Miidi- 

 igan, who spent several weeks at the hreeding-gronnds of the bird in (pie.stion, and 

 was thus enabled to make niaiiy very interesting observations on its habits, et<'. Air. 

 Ward's memoranda, \vhi(di are esiiecial'y interesting in connection with the question 

 of Ai'diii oir!(/r)ttit/is, Aii>., and J. Wiinlnntuni'i, I'iAIUD, are as follows : — 



" My (di.servations of the Herons during the past sea.son do not correspond with 

 those of Mr. N. J$. Moore, as recorded on page L'.'ili of your artiide,' in regard to their 

 feeding habits. 1 found them generally living in comniunitie.s, roosting, nesting, and 

 feeding together, like Pigeons, and often (d)served flocks of the Little White, Heddish, 

 and other Egrets, feeding together like Teal Ducks. Two sjiecimens of J. oiTltfciifn/ls 

 were .seen feeding quietly within twenty feet of one of the Herons procured by me 

 [.I. W'tinU, n(d)is]. They were feeding on a inudd)ar at low tide. I was once con- 

 cealed in the low brush near a small po(d watching three Louisiana Egrets cdiasing 

 minnows, when two of them making for the .same minnow sipiared off for a knock- 

 down, while the third coolly aiipropriated the jirize, leaving the combatants situated 

 like eom|dainant and defendant at the close of a lawsuit. Li all my observations of 

 the Herons I have seen nothing to lead to a conclusion that one of these birds ludd 

 any particular antipathy against its own siiecies while feeding. In tin; many squab- 

 bles between Herons on their feeding-grounds, the enoountors occurred (|uite as often 

 between different species as members of tho same species, it may be that during 

 the breeding sciison they are more friendly than at other times. In order that you 

 may understand my opiiortunities for observing those birds, 1 imdose a rough map of 

 Mound Key and surr()unding.s, my camping-place from January 20 till A])ril 10. As 

 you will see by the figures marked .... it was in the midst of their feeding-grounds, 

 these places being mud- and sandd)ars, bare at h)w tide, Kegarding the lieddish 

 Egret, among many thousands of them I saw only one in the pure white plumage, 



1 Cf. Bull. U. S. ticol. Gcog. Survey Terr. Vol. IV. No. 1, pp. 231, 232. 





