78 Zoologica: N. Y. Zoological Society. [I; 3 



Agamia agami {Q(ia\e\.) . Agami Heron. 



Several were at the mouth of the Cano San Juan, fishing in 

 the shallows at the edge of the mud flats. Not seen again. 



Canchroma cochlearia Linn. Boat-billed Heron. 



Several of these curious looking birds flew up as our sloop 

 passed them on the Caiio San Juan. 



Butorides virescens (Linn.). Little Green Heron. 



Very abundant along the Rio Guarapiche, flying up at every 

 turn, and exceedingly tame. On April 10th we saw several of 

 these familiar little herons, at La Brea, but not until we secured 

 two and carefully identified them, could we be certain that they 

 were the same "fly-up-the-creeks" which haunt our northern 

 mill-ponds. 



Order ANSERIFORMES. 



Cairina moschata (Lmn.) . Muscovy Duck. 



Two pairs of this splendid duck were seen at the mouth of 

 the Cano San Juan on March 25th and no day passed during our 

 stay among the mangroves when we did not see several pairs. 

 They would waddle slowly out from the darkness of the inner 

 swamp, their black plumage the very hue of the blue-black mud, 

 and the scarlet caruncles about the eyes glowing in the sunlight. 

 When the birds were flushed, the white wing-speculums flashed 

 out brilliantly. They seemed to sift the mud for organic mate- 

 rial and we saw them running awkwardly after the small man- 

 grove crabs. We saw none away from the salt or brackish 

 caiios. They seemed to fly about more and to feed more freely 

 toward night-fall. 



Dendrocygna viduata (Linn.) . White-faced Tree-duck. 



We saw these birds only twice, on the upper Rio Guanoco, 

 beyond tide water. I procured a tame pair which were in a 

 bamboo fenced yard near an Indian's hut, associating with cats, 

 dogs and chickens. These were said to have been caught when 

 young a few miles farther inland. 



Order PELECANIFORMES. 



Phalacrocorax vigua (Vieill.). South American Cormorant. 



A flock of nine birds flew across our bow in the Cailo San 

 Juan about a mile from the gulf. On March 30th we flushed a 

 single cormorant from the Rio Guarapiche near Cano Colorado. 



