﻿258 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  Field 
  marks. 
  This 
  species 
  may 
  be 
  distinguished 
  from 
  the 
  white 
  phase 
  

   of 
  the 
  Little 
  blue 
  heron 
  b}' 
  having 
  the 
  wings 
  entirely 
  white 
  and 
  the 
  legs 
  

   black; 
  and 
  from 
  the 
  Large 
  white 
  egret 
  by 
  its 
  smaller 
  size. 
  

  

  Distribution. 
  The 
  range 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  coincides 
  closely 
  with 
  that 
  

   of 
  the 
  American 
  egret. 
  According 
  to 
  Giraud 
  it 
  was 
  formerly 
  not 
  uncommon 
  

   on 
  Long 
  Island 
  from 
  "late 
  in 
  the 
  spring 
  till 
  the 
  last 
  of 
  September." 
  In 
  early 
  

   days 
  it 
  undoubtedly 
  bred 
  in 
  the 
  Long 
  Island 
  swamps, 
  and 
  as 
  late 
  as 
  May 
  

   30th, 
  1885, 
  Mr 
  Dutcher 
  saw 
  three 
  specimens 
  on 
  Great 
  South 
  beach 
  which 
  

   were 
  evidently 
  trying 
  to 
  nest 
  [see 
  Auk, 
  3: 
  435]. 
  During 
  the 
  summers 
  of 
  

   1881, 
  1882, 
  1883, 
  1884 
  and 
  1885 
  small 
  companies 
  of 
  these 
  birds 
  numbering 
  

   from 
  three 
  to 
  seven 
  were 
  observed 
  on 
  different 
  occasions 
  along 
  the 
  south 
  

   coast 
  of 
  the 
  island, 
  but 
  since 
  that 
  time 
  it 
  is 
  rare 
  or 
  onh^ 
  an 
  occasional 
  visitor 
  

   [see 
  Dutcher, 
  Auk, 
  i: 
  32]. 
  Dr 
  Braislin 
  in 
  Auk, 
  volume 
  17, 
  page 
  169, 
  men- 
  

   tions 
  a 
  flock 
  of 
  six 
  or 
  seven 
  observed 
  at 
  East 
  Rockaway 
  in 
  August 
  1899. 
  

   Mr 
  Hendrickson 
  in 
  Dutcher's 
  Long 
  Island 
  Notes 
  reports 
  one 
  from 
  Queens 
  

   county. 
  May 
  16, 
  1889. 
  Specimens 
  from 
  the 
  interior 
  have 
  been 
  reported 
  

   from 
  Buffalo, 
  in 
  Dr 
  Bergtold's 
  List, 
  page 
  6, 
  from 
  Sing 
  Sing 
  by 
  Dr 
  Fisher, 
  

   from 
  Lake 
  Ontario, 
  1889, 
  by 
  Chapman, 
  Forest 
  and 
  Stream, 
  volume 
  33, 
  

   page 
  497, 
  and 
  from 
  Saratoga 
  county, 
  summer 
  of 
  1893, 
  by 
  Messrs 
  Brower 
  

   and 
  Ingersoll 
  of 
  Ballston 
  Spa. 
  

  

  Hydranassa 
  tricolor 
  ruficollis 
  (Gosse) 
  

  

  Louisiana 
  Heron 
  

  

  Egretta 
  ruficollis 
  Gosse. 
  Jamaica. 
  1847. 
  Zi^ 
  

  

  Ardea 
  ludoviciana 
  DeKay. 
  Zool. 
  N. 
  Y. 
  1844. 
  pt 
  2, 
  p. 
  223 
  

  

  Ardea 
  tricolor 
  ruficollis 
  A. 
  O. 
  U. 
  Check 
  List. 
  Ed. 
  2. 
  1895, 
  No. 
  199 
  

  

  hydranas'sa, 
  Gr. 
  vhwp, 
  water, 
  and 
  ai/ao-o-a, 
  queen; 
  tri' 
  color, 
  Lat., 
  three- 
  

   colored; 
  riificol'lis, 
  rufous-necked 
  

  

  Description. 
  Adult: 
  Bill 
  very 
  slender; 
  feathers 
  of 
  head 
  and 
  neck 
  

   elongated 
  and 
  pointed; 
  upper 
  parts 
  slaty 
  blue; 
  back 
  of 
  head 
  and 
  most 
  of 
  

   neck 
  deepening 
  to 
  purplish 
  maroon 
  ; 
  the 
  longer 
  feathers 
  of 
  crest 
  white 
  ; 
  upper 
  

   throat, 
  rump 
  and 
  under 
  parts 
  mostly 
  white; 
  jugular 
  plumes 
  purplish 
  and 
  

   ])lumbeous 
  ; 
  a 
  scapular 
  train 
  of 
  fringelike 
  plumes 
  sweeping 
  beyond 
  the 
  tail, 
  

   "light 
  drab" 
  in 
  color; 
  legs 
  dusky 
  in 
  front 
  and 
  yellowish 
  behind; 
  bill 
  black 
  

  

  