434 BULLETIN UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. [YolY. 



135. Gaezetta candidissima (Gm.) Bp. — Little White Ugret. 

 Occasionally seen about Corpus Christi Bay, but not found breeding. 



136. Htdeanassa teicoloe (Mlill.) Eidgw. — Louisiana Heron. 



A few seen on the flats up the ISTueces Eiver the last of Marcli, and 

 a number in the lagoon near Point Isabel Apnl 3. 



137. DiCHROMANASSA RX7PA (Bodd.) Eidgw. — Reddish Egret. 



On March 24 I discovered a few nests of this bird on a small shell 

 island at the mouth of the Nueces Eiver near Corpus Christi. They 

 were on the ground under bushes, and in the low branches of bushes, 

 whose tops contained nests of the Great Blue Heron and the Great 

 White Egret. Laying had but just commenced, there being but one Qgg 

 in each of two nests, and some nests were not yet completed. In Lagoona 

 Madre, and some twenty-five miles or more distant from Corpus Christi, 

 I found the Eeddish Egret breeding in great numbers. In this lagoon, 

 some twelve or more miles from the northern end of Padre Island, are 

 two islands of very modest dimensions, called " Bird Islands,'- from the 

 number of birds frequenting them. As we dropped anchor off the larger 

 and more southern one, on March 27, thkty or forty White Pelicans 

 lifted from the point farthest from us, soon followed by a hundred or 

 more Brown Pelicans, frightened by our flapping sails, while great num- 

 bers of Herons were standing and flying about and above the island in 

 every direction. The glass brought to view great numbers of Gulls and 

 Terns on the shores, and heads and necks of Herons stretching up from 

 every bush on the island. The shores of the island are sand, the highest 

 points about six feet from the water-level, and the vegetation a few 

 brake-like bushes as high as one's head, in clumps, a few straggling and 

 stunted yuccas, great patches of low prickly-pear cactuses, mingled with 

 which were a few stunted thorny bushes, and in low places rank grasses. 

 Our first step on shore introduced us to myriads of mosquitoes, an enemy 

 we had little anticipated, for we had not before met with them, and 

 and before we left we found them extremely troublesome. They gathered 

 so thickly about and vq}on us, and that, too, under a broiling midday 

 sun, that we were several times obliged to retreat to the water to brush 

 them off and take breath. In the large bushes near the point where we 

 landed we found a number of Great Blue Herons' nests, but no others. 

 But in the low cactus patches u]3on the centre and highest part of the 

 island were hundreds of Eeddish Egrets, many of which were in white 

 plumage, standing and sitting on their nests. They were not shy, and 

 would allow us to approach within easy range before taking wing. About 

 one in five was white, and before taking eggs we secured several white 

 ones on nests. I was prepared to find the white ones breeding, as I had 

 already found almost fully developed eggs in specimens I had taken. 

 The nests were everywhere upon, uaider, and about the low-growing 

 cactuses, many being upon the ground, and none more than a foot from 



