40 



ALTRICIAL GKALLATORES — IIERODIOXES. 



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color; lanceolate feathers of the jiij,'iiluni luixeil inaroon-puiple and idumbeous-blue, the former 

 ^irevailing Uiterally, the latter nuMlially ; chin and ni^ier part of throat pure white ; rest of the 

 throat briglit cinnamon-rufous (tin- feathers wliile heiieatli the surface), this gradually l.ecominf,' 

 narrower and finally broken up at about the middle of the foreneck, \. hence continued downward 

 in a series of mixed touches of white, rufous, and plumbuous ; rest of the lower parts, including 

 the whole liidng of the wing, and also the rump (the latter concealed by the train), pure white. 

 Upper parts nearly uniform plund)eous-blue, excej)! the train, which is light drab, paler towards 

 the extremilv of the feathers. In tin- hnalinij .iidson, the terminal third, or more, of the bill black, 

 "the rest sky-ljjue, shading into lilac at the base, the latter color extending to the eye; legs slate- 

 color ; iris red" (CouY). At other stasuns, "bill brownish black on the greater part of the npper 

 mandible, and on the sides of the lower mandible towards the point ; the rest yellow, as is the 

 bare space before and around the eye ; iris bright red ; feet light yellowish gr<'eii, the anterior 

 scutellie dusky, a.s are the claws'' (Audi itoxj. 



Yoitiiij: Head and neck light cinnamon-rufous, the feathers plumbeous beneath the surface, the 

 pileuni overlaid with jplnmbeous, and na|ie tinged with the same ; chin, throat, and malar region 

 uniform white; fo-eneck white, with a median longitudinal scries of cinnamon-colored streaks, 

 these more broken posteriorly, where the white is much wider. Entire lower parts (including 

 axillars and lining of the wing), w ith entire rump and upper tail-coverts, uniform white. Uj>per 

 parts uniform bluish-plumbeous, the wing-coverts widely tijpped with light cinnamon-rufous, and 

 the back more or less tinged with the same. Occipital feathers slightly elongated, forming an 

 inconspicuous pendant crest, the feathers similar in color to those of adjacent parts ; no dorsal 

 plumes. Bill mostly yellow, the culmen and terminal third of upper mandible blackish ; "legs 

 deep greenish olive " (Audubon). 



Demerara specimens, representing the true JI. tricului; are very much smaller than more north- 

 ern examples. They are also decidedly darker, the neck being in some specimens plumbeous- 

 black, in others dark plumbeous, and the ferruginous of the throat very deep. 



The Loiii.siaiia Heron is eoninioii on our southern Atlantic coast from the Chesa- 

 peake to the Florida Keys, and is found from thence to Central America in abun- 

 dance. It is common on the Pacific coast of Guatemala, but lias not been met with 

 farther north than Mazatlan. It straggles along the Atlantic coast as far north 

 at least as Long Island. ( Jiraud imdudes it among liis birds of Loi'.g IsUind, but 

 states it to be only a very rare and accidental visitant. A single specimen, shot at 

 Patchogue in the summer of IS'M), was the oidy individiuil of this species known to 

 have been procured in that vicinity. Mr. Lawrence includes it among his list of birds 

 found near New York City. Mr. TiirnbuU states that it has been occasionally ob- 

 tained on the coast of New Jersey. Wilson speaks of it as sometimes found on the 

 swampy river idiores of South I'arolina, but more freipiently along the borders of 

 the Mississippi, particularly below New Orleans. Mr. Dresser speaks of it as common 

 at Matamoras, and also near San Antonio. He also received it from Fort Stockton, 

 taken there in the summer. At San .\ntonio he obtained one so late in the season as 

 to render it not improbable that some remain through the winter. In June, 18G4, he 

 found a luimber breeding on Galveston Island. They build a heavy nest, either on 

 the ground or in the low bushes. The number of the eggs was four. In Florida. 

 Mr. Boardman found it breeding invariably upon low bushes, and always in comjiany 

 with the condldistilma. Mr. Salvin states that he found this Heron common about 

 the lagoons that line the whole Pacific coast of Guatemala, but he met with none in 

 the interior. It is given by Dr. Gundlach as breeding in Cuba, and is described as a new 

 species by Gosse, among the birds of Jamaica, under the name of Et/rcffn ruficoUis : 

 but he oidy met with a few specimens, though he regarded it as undoubtedly a per- 

 manent resident in the island. Mr. March speaks of it as one of the most common 

 birds of the island, where it is known as the Red-necked Gaulin. 



Audubon characterizes it as among the most delicate in form, beautiful in plumage, 



