46 



SMITHSONIAN M ISCELLANEOL'S COLLECTIONS 



VOL. ^2 



taken place. On the sixth key no Cerions were found, l)ut there 

 was secured the new clapi)er rail which has since been described 

 as Rallits lo)i!^irostris hcliiis, b\- Dr. ( )berholser. Here, also, the 

 pictures of the Ward's heron (Ardca licrodias 7<'ardi) nest and 

 young" were taken. This key might really be called Rail Key. In 

 the seventh no Cerions were found, but the great white heron 

 (Ardea occidcntalis) was found Ijreeding', and it was here that 

 we secured our photographs of this bird and the specimen, which 

 was shipped to the Zoolog^ical Park at Washington by parcel post 

 from Key West. It is believed that this is the first time this s])ecies 



F:g. 46. — Young great white heron (Ardca occidcntalis) in 

 the nest in a mangrove thicket. 



has been shown in any zoological garden. The eighth and last 

 key is a mere clump of mangroves without Cerion possibilities. 



On the evening of the 12th the expedition headed for Key West. 

 A large collection of Cerions was made near the Bureau of Fisheries 

 station, to be used for ijreeding purposes at the Tortugas. 



A new set of experiments was started on Loggerhead Key, Tor- 

 tugas. Ninety cages of bronze wire, 2' x 3' x 3' high, were con- 

 structed in which were placed one s])ecimen each of two species. \\\ 

 addition to this nine cages 6' x 8' x 3' high were built, in which 50 

 each of the two sj)ccies were placed. 



On tlie 19th opportunit}- presented itself to return to Key West on 

 a submarine chaser. 



