4 ALTRICIAL GRALLATORES — HERODIONES. 



8. [Syrigma.] Size medium. Adult with several elongated, narrow, compact-webbed, round- 



tip]ied, somewhat rigid and sliglitly recurved plumes on lower part of occiput. Jugular 

 feathers soft, broad, blended. No .scapular plumes. Culmen about etj^ual to middle toe. 

 Color mucli variegated, the tail and lower parts white. 



9. [Pilherodius.] Size medium. Orbits and anterior part of malar region naked. Occiput 



with two extremely elongated linear, compact-webbed plumes. Jugular plumes broad, 

 blended. No scapular plumes. Color white, the crown and occiput black. Middle toe 

 shorter than culmen ; culmen shorter than tarsus. 



10. Nycticorax. Size medium. Adult with several e.xtremely elongated linear, compact- 



welibed occiliital plumes. No scapular plumes. Jugular feathers broad, blended. Cul- 

 men about equal to tarsus ; tarsus slightly longer than middle toe. Lateral outlines of 

 bill concave ; gonys nearly straight. Adult and young exceedingly different in plumage. 



11. Nyctherodiua. Size medium, ^rfuii with several extremely elongated linear, conipact- 



weblied occiliital plumes. Scapular plumes elongated, narrow, round-tipped, the webs 

 somewhat decomposed. Jugular feathers broad, blended. Culmen much shorter than 

 tarsus (a little longer than middle toe) ; tarsus much longer than middle toe. Color 

 much variegated. Lateral outlines of the bill straight ; gonys very convex. Adult and 

 young exceedingly different in plumage. 



5§. Malar reijion entirely naked. Hill loiiijer than tarsns and middle toe. 



12. [Agamia.] Size medium. Bill extremely elongated, narrow, and compressed. Adult 



with greatly elongated, broadly lanceolate, acute occipital plumes ; lower back with simi- 

 lar, but more loosely webbed, plumes overhanging rump. Sides of neck with recurved, 

 sickle-shaped, narrow, and acute plumes. Jugular feathers broad, blended. Tarsus nearly 

 twice middle toe. 

 b. Pectoral and inguinal powder-douii tracts united into a continuous strip. 



13. [Tigrisoma.] Malar region and throat naked, the latter with or without a medial feath- 



ered strip. Taisus with hexagonal scntella- in front. Outer toe longer than inner ; claws 

 short, strongly curved. Plumage much variegated ; feathers of neck loose, " fluffy." 



B. Rcctrices ten. Tibiw xoith the lower portion completeltj feathered. Pectoral and inyuinal powder- 

 doicn tracts widely separated. Malar region completely feathered. 



14. [Zebrilus.] Size very small (among the smallest of Herons). Plumage exceedinglv lax 



and " fluffy." Bill and feet very small. Culmen about equal to tarsus, both longer than 

 miildle toe ; outer toe longest. Plumage dull, with transverse undulations of dusky anrl 

 light fulvou.-i. 



*. SuB-F.\MiLY BOT.\URIN.E. — The Bitteuns. 



15. Botaurus. Size medium, or rather large. Sexes similar ; young similar to adult. 



16. Ardetta. Size extremely small (the smallest of Herons). Sexes dissimilar (in all 



species >.) ; young slightly different from adult. 



Genus ARDEA, Lixx^us. 



Ardca, LiNx. S. N. I. 1735; cd. 12, I. 1766, 233 (type, J. cinerea, Linn.). 

 Audubonm, BoNAP. Con.sp. II. 1855, 113 (type, Ardca occidcntalis, AuD.). 



Char. Herons of largest size (of Stork-like stature), the adults distinguished by lengthened, 

 narrowly-lanceolate, acute jugular and scapular plumes (the former rather rigid, the latter over- 

 hanging the wings and rump) ; a tuft of broad feathers on each side the breast (having a different 

 color from adjacent parts), and, in the breeding season, by the presence of two or three extremely 

 lengthened, narrow, pendant, occipital plumes. 



Culmen almost straight ; gonys ascending, more or less convex, about equal in length to the man- 

 dibular rami ; upper and lower outlines of the bill parallel for the basal half. Mental apes anterior 

 to half-way between point of bill and anterior angle of the eye ; frontal apex a little posterior to 



