HERONS AND BITTERNS. 



131 



I 



survey their surroumlinfrs. They take wing almost from beneath one's 

 feet, and, with a low, frightened qiKu fly slowly for a short distance 

 and then drop back into the grass. During the breeding season one 

 may hear what presumably is the voice of only the male — a soft, slowly 

 repeated, dovelike voo, roo, coo, coo, coo. It floats over the marsh like 

 the voice of a s[)irit bird. 



191. 1. Ardetta neozena (''>r>/. CouvV Bitteun. Ad. s .— " Top oC 



the head, buck, aiul tail ilark ^'reenish bhick, showing a grct.. gloss wlien lu-id 

 in the light. Sides of the lieuil and tiiroat rufous-chestnut, the f'eatljers on the 

 back of the neck showing greenish-black tips; breast and under parts nearly 

 unitbnn rufous-chestnut, sluiding into dull black on the sides ; wing-coverts 

 dark rufous-chestnut, all the reiniges entirely slaty pluniljeous; undyr tail- 

 coverts uniform dull black. W., 4-30 ; Tar., 1-40 ; B., 1-80 " (Cory, orij;. descr.. 

 Auk, iii, 1880, p. 2iJ2j. 



This small Bittern was described from a specimen taken in the 

 Everglades of Florida. Si.K additional specimens have sijice been 

 secured in the same region, to which, until recently, the species was 

 supposed to be confined. Within the past few years, however, five 

 specimens have been taken in the Toronto marshes, where A. exilis is 

 common, and one is recorded from IMichigan. It seems to me not un- 

 likely that, as Mr. W. E. D. Scott suggests, neoxena may prove to be a 

 color phase of A. exilis. (Cf. Scott, Auk, viii, 1891, p. 309; ix, 1898, 

 p. 141.) 



192* Ardea OCCidentalis Aud. Great Wmite IIehox. .1'/.— En- 

 tirely white; in l)rceding plumage, with long, luirrow, stitt'ened feathers on the 

 back and lower foreneck, and two narrow plumes on the back of the crown. 

 "L., 4r)-00-54-00 ; W., 17-O0-21-0O; B., t)-00-7-00; Tar, 8-00-8-7r>" (Kidgw.). 



JiatKje. — Jamaica and Tuha north to the coasts of southern Florida, casu- 

 ally to Anclote River and Micoo. 



Nfst^ a platform of sticks in colonics in mangrove buslies. E(j<js, three to 

 four, pale, dull blue, 2-50 x 1-sO. 



This is a common species on the coasts of soul horn Florida, par- 

 ticularly in the vicinity of Cape Sable. Rarely it is found as far north 

 as the Anclote River on the west coast and Micco on the east coast. 

 This bird is as large as the Great Blue Heron, and must not be con- 

 fused with Ardea egreffa, to which the name Great White Heron is 

 frecpiently applied. 



Ardea wuerdmnimi Raird has boon considered to be a color phase 

 of this species, but its true standing is unknown. It is described by 

 Coues as follows : 



" Head, with the crest, white, the forehead streaked with black edges of the 

 feathers; under parts white, the sides streaked with black; lower plumes of 

 neck white, mostly streaked with black edges of the feathers ; neck purplisli 



