140 LOUISIANA HERON. 



this species consists of small fry, water insects, worms, slugs, and snails, 

 as well as leeches, tadpoles, and aquatic lizards. 



Louisiana Heron, Ardea ludoviciana, JVils. Amer. Ornith. vol. viii. p. 13. pi. 64. 



fig. 1. adult — Nuttall, Manual, vol. ii. p. 51. 

 Ardea ludoviciana, Ch. Bonaparte, Sjnops. of Birds of the United States, p. 305. 



Adult Male. Plate CCXVII. 



Bill much longer than the head, straight, compressed, tapering to a 

 point, the mandibles nearly equal. Upper mandible with the dorsal line 

 nearly straight, the ridge broad and slightly convex at the base, narrow- 

 ed towards the end, a groove from the base to two-thirds of the length, 

 beneath which the sides are convex, the edges thin and sharp, with a 

 notch on each side close to the sharp tip. Nostrils basal, linear, longitu- 

 dinal, with a membrane above and behind. Lower mandible with the 

 angle extremely narrow and elongated, the dorsal line beyond it ascend- 

 ing and almost straight, the edges sharp and slightly inflected, the tip 

 acuminate. 



Head rather small, oblong, compressed. Neck very long and slender. 

 Body slender and compressed ; wings rather large. Feet very lono- ; 

 tibia elongated, its lower half bare, very slender, covered all round with 

 angular scales, of which the posterior are scutelliform ; tarsus elongated, 

 slender, compressed, covered anteriorly with numerous scutella, laterally 

 and behind with angular scales. Toes of moderate length, rather slen- 

 der, scutellate above, reticularly granulate beneath ; third toe much lon- 

 ger than second, which is very little longer than fourth, the hind toe 

 much shorter but strong ; claws of moderate size, rather strong, arched, 

 compressed, rather acute, that of the hind toe much larger, the edge of 

 that of the third regularly pectinated. 



Space between the bill and eye, and around the latter, bare, as is the 

 lower half of the tibia. Plumage soft, generally loose. Feathers of the 

 upper and hind part of the head elongated, tapering, decurved, about six 

 of them larger and much longer ; of the sides, and especially of the lower 

 part of the neck, also much elongated and narrow. The feathers of the 

 fore part of the back long and narrow-pointed, those behind extremely 

 elongated, with long loose threadlike barbs ; the rest of the back with 

 short soft feathers. Wing of moderate length ; primaries tapei-ing but 

 rounded, the third longest, second very little sliorter, first and fourth 



