228 HERONS AND BITTERNS 
202. Nycticorax nycticorax nevis (Bodd.). BLACK - CROWNED 
Nicat Heron. Ads.—Forehead, lores, neck and underparts white or 
whitish; crown, upper back and scapulars glossy, greenish black; lower 
back, wings and tail ashy gray; legs and feet yellow; lores greenish; two or 
three white rounded occipital plumes about 8°00 in length. Im.—\Upper- 
parts grayish brown, the feathers streaked or with wedge-shaped spots of 
white or buffy; outer web of primaries pale rufous; underparts white, 
streaked with blackish. L., 24°00; W., 12°00; Tar., 3°20; B., 3°00. 
Range.—N. and 8. Am. Breeds from n. Ore., s. Wyoming, s. Man., n. 
Que., and N. §. s. to Patagonia; winters from n. Calif. and Gulf States 
southward; casual in winter n. to Mass. and s. Ills. 
Washington, not uncommon S. R., occasional in winter. Long Island, 
S. R., Apl. 12-Sept. 29; a few winter. Ossining, common S. R., Apl. 6—Oct. 
20. Cambridge, formerly P. R., now found sparingly chiefly in late sum- 
mer and early fall; Apl. 10-Nov. 1. N. Ohio, occasional in summer. Glen 
ally quite common S. R., Apl. 8-Oct. 15. SE. Minn., uncommon S. R., 
ay 15. 
Nest, of sticks, in colonies, in the upperparts of tall trees, sometimes in 
bushes or on the ground. Eggs, 3-6, pale, dull blue, 2°00 x 1°40. Date, 
San Mateo, Fla., Mch. 29; Chester Co., Pa., May 3; Ossining, N. Y., May 7. 
These birds live in colonies composed sometimes of thousands of 
pairs. Their day begins after sunset, when they leave their roosts and 
start for their feeding-grounds. Occasionally they utter a loud, hoarse 
quawk, the origin of their common name; and looking up we may 
catch a glimpse of them hurrying through the gloom. During the 
nesting-season the demands of the young force them to feed both by 
day and night. 
1900. CHapman, F. M., Bird Studies with a Camera, 76-85 (nesting on 
203. Nyctanassa violacea (Linn.). YELLOW-CROWNED NicHt HEron. 
Ads.—Crown white, generally washed with buffy; ear-coverts white; rest of 
head and throat black; neck, breast and belly blue-gray; back the same; 
the lengthened interscapulars, scapulars and wing-coverts streaked with 
black; two or three black and white rounded occipital plumes; lores greenish 
yellow; legs greenish. Im.—Crown black, the feathers streaked with white 
or buffy; rest of upperparts, including wing-coverts, fuscous-brown with 
wedge-shaped buffy or white spots; primaries dark bluish slate-color without 
rufous; underparts white or buffy streaked with blackish. L., 23°00; W,, 
12°00; Tar., 3°75; B., 3°00. 
Remarks.—Y oung birds bear a general resemblance to those of the pre- 
ceding species, but differ in being darker, in having the head darker than the 
back, and the primaries without rufous. 
Fange.—Warm temperate and tropical Am. Breeds from s. L. Calif., 
Kans., s. Ills., s. Ind., and S. C. s. to Brazil and Peru; casual n. to Colo., 
Ont., Mass., Maine, and N. S.; winters from s. L. Calif., and s. Fla, 
southward. 
Washington, A. V., one record, Aug. 1901. Long Island, three records, 
Cambridge, A. V., one record, July. 
Nest, a platform of sticks, in pairs or small colonies, generally on a 
branch over water. Eggs, 4-5, pale dull blue, 1°95 x 1°45. Date, San Mateo, 
Fla., Apl. 2; eoast, S. C., Apl. 20. 
This is a less common species than the preceding. It nests in paira 
along the borders of wooded streams and is also found nesting in asso- 
ciation with other Herons, 
