62 • CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES [Proc. 4th Ser. 



No. 2030, a fine adult male from Cocos Island, is in fresh 

 plumage and still shows numbers of pin-feathers. No. 2032 

 from Socorro, July 28, is in worn feather. 



Butorides sundevalli: Galapagos Heron 

 Plate II, Fig. 2 



Abingdon, Albemarle, Barrington, Bindloe, Champion, 

 Charles, Chatham, Daphne, Delano, Duncan, Gardner-near- 

 Hood, Hood, Indefatigable, islet off northeast James, James, 

 Jervis, Narborough, Seymour, Tower, and Wenman islands. 



This fearless, and to our minds ludicrous, heron frequented 

 the rocky and cliff-bound coasts as well as those clothed with 

 mangroves, its dusky color blending admirably with the lava 

 rocks and rendering it very difficult to see, especially when not 

 in motion. It was also observed quite commonly in the large 

 saline lagoons near Villamil, Albemarle Island. 



In two or three instances individuals were observed sitting 

 on the bowsprit of the schooner while anchored at Tagus Cove, 

 Albemarle Island. One day at Charles Island, upon returning 

 from a short trip inland, we found an immature one in the 

 bottom of the skiff, which was drawn up on the beach. It was 

 quietly investigating the water under the grating. When we 

 threw our things into the boat, it jumped up on a thwart, where 

 it remained until one of the members of the party got a stick 

 and dispatched it. 



When a stone is thrown close to one of these birds, or it is 

 come upon suddenly, it often jumps two or three feet to a 

 neighboring rock, raising its crest and cackling and squawking 

 in great alarm. Often if a person rows by one in a skiff at a dis- 

 tance of thirty or forty feet, it will make a great racket, craning 

 its neck absurdly all the while — a habit which affords much 

 amusement to the onlookers. When excited or disturbed, 

 these herons bob their tails up and down continually with a 

 short twitching motion. 



Very often they were observed flying across bays and toward 

 adjacent islands. They do not fly with the neck outstretched, 

 but carry the head close to the shoulders, giving the body a 

 hunched appearance. The same is true of their walk. One 

 was watched carefully one day on Indefatigable Island. It 



