16 Scott, Birds of the Gulf Coast of Florida. [January 
Coast. The only records I have are two birds, sex unknown, taken at 
Fort Meyers, on the Caloosahatchie River, in the spring of 1886. These 
two are in my collection and are numbered 5244 and 5245. 
The local hunters in Hillsboro and Hernando Counties do not seem 
to have any knowledge of ‘‘Copper-colored Curlews,” except such of the 
hunters as have travelled in the southern portion of the State. 
Tantalus loculator. Woop Isis.—Common resident and frequents the 
cypress ponds, small streams, and rivers. It is rarely to be found on or 
close to salt water. Mr. Stuart of Tampa told me that several hundred 
ofthese birds bred in a rookery about eight miles from Tampaas recently 
as the spring of 1885. The breeding season was at its height about the 
last of March. This rookery has been broken up by local hunters and no 
birds breed there now, nor have I met with the species nesting in Florida. 
Botaurus lentiginosus. AMERICAN BITTERN.—A rare summer resident 
but abundant at certain points in the autumn, winter, and spring. Ihave 
no record of the species breeding in Florida, but meet with the birds now 
and then throughout the warm months. 
Botaurus exilis. Least BITTERN.—Common resident. Many breed 
both in the fresh and salt water marshes, though the former seem to be 
preferred. 
The breeding season in the region about Tarpon Springs is in May and 
is completed, the young birds being able to fly, by the last of June, or first 
week in July. 
Ardea occidentalis. GrEAT WuitTeE Hrron.—The regions between 
Cape Romano and Cape Sable and to the south of the latter point seem 
the localities preferred by this species, and here they are resident and 
breed. The breeding season is said to be in December and January. Mr. 
Atkins has kindly given me numerous records of their occurrence at Key 
West, and I have a note of one seen at the mouth of the Anclote River in 
April, 1887. 
Ardea wuerdemanni. WURDEMANN’s HERON.—Mr. Stuart of Tampa has 
collected between Capes Romano and Sable some ten or more individuals 
of this species which I have personally seen. Most of these were in the 
colored phase and presented considerable individual variation, the details 
of which I am unable to place on record here, as I put off taking notes in 
this matter, being hurried at the time of my visit, and since then these 
valuable birds with many others have been destroyed by fire. Two of 
Mr. Stuart’s birds were in the white phase, being pure white everywhere 
except on the last two or three inches of the their outer primaries, which 
were in color blue and marked much like the primary quills of Ardea 
cérulea in its white phase of plumage. 
For the notes I have on the breeding of this species, I am indebted to 
Mr. Stuart, who kindly placed them at my disposal. Mr. Stuart started 
in the early part of November, 1886, for the region alluded to above, and 
found Wiirdemann’s Heron breeding at that season. Some of the birds 
had eggs in their nests, and some had young almost ready to fly so that 
it is fair to presume that the birds begin to breed about October 1. The 
