AEDEA. 161 



Like the other large Herons, this is a very shy bird, and it may be seen standing 

 motionless by the sides of streams or lagoons waiting for its prey, which consists 

 chiefly of fish, though it also captures mice, frogs, and insects, and is even said to 

 devour small birds. 



The nest is built in trees at varying heights from the ground, and mostly in swampy 

 country ; it is a large structure of sticks collected by the male and arranged by the 

 female. The eggs are greenish-blue, usually three in number, but in more southern 

 localities they vary from four to five, and occasionally six are found. Both sexes take 

 their share of incubation, and the young birds remain in the nest till they are nearly 

 full-grown. 



2. Ardea egretta. 



Ardea egretta, Wilson, Amer. Orn. vii. p. 106, t. 61. f. 4^ ; Wagler, Isis, 1831, p. 531'; Salv, 



Cat. Strickl. Coll. p. 516' ; P. Z. S. 1883, p. 427*; Ibis, 1889, p. 376'; Ferrari-Perez, Pr. 



U. S. Nat. Mus. ix. p. 169 ' ; Zeled. An. Mus. Nac. Costa Rica, i. p. 130 (1 887) ' ; Stone, Pr. 



Acad. Philad. 1890, p. 203 ' ; Cherrie, Auk, 1892, p. 329 ' ; Eichm. Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. xvi. 



p. 527 " ; A. O. U. Check-l. N. Amer. Birds, 2nd ed. p. 71 " ; Underwood, Ibis, 1896, 



p. 450 ''; Nelson, N. Amer. Fauna, no. 14, p. 33". 

 Herodias egretta, Scl. P. Z. S. 1859, p. 369" ; 1860, p. 253"; Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1859, p. 226" ; 



P. Z. S. 1864, p. 371 "; Lawr. Ann. Lye. N. Y. viii. p. 12 '^ ix. p. 142"; Mem. Best. Soc. 



N. H. ii. p. 310'° ; Grayson, Pr. Best. Soc. N. H. xiv. p. 285''; Nutting, Pr. U. S. Nat. 



Mus. V. p. 406 '" ; vi. p. 379 " ; Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. sxvi. p. 95 ■* ; Gates, Cat. 



Eggs Brit. Mus. ii. p. 116''. 

 Ardea gasetta, Licht. Preis-Verz. Mex. Vog. p. 3 '' ; Cab. J. f . Grn. 1863, p. 59 ". 

 Ardea leuce, v. Frantz. J. f . Orn. 1869, p. 376 '' ; Duges, La Nat. i. p. 142 '" ; Sumichr. La Nat. 



V. p. 233 '". 



Ptil. cBstiv. Alba, plumis dorsalibus ornainentalibus longissimis : rostro et plaga nuchali lorali flavis, hae vix 

 viridi tincta ; maxilla plus minusve nigricante ; pedibus omnino nigris ; iride liava. Long, tota circa 38-0, 

 alae 15-6, caudse 5*5, culm. 4*45, tarsi 5-95. (Descr. maris adulti ex Momotombo, Nicaragua. Mus. 

 nostr.) 



2 • Piil. cestiv. man simUis, pure alba, et plumis dorsalibus omamentalibus decorata. Long, tota circa 33, 

 alee 14-1. (Descr. feminae adultse ex Presidio, Mexico. Mus. nostr.) 



Ptil. Mem. ptilosi sestivae simUis, sed plumis omamentalibus nuUis distinguenda. 



Juv. adultis similis, sed ptilosi moLiori et magis decomposifca : rostro flavo apicem versus nigro distinguendus. 



Hah. Temperate North America southward from New Jersey, Minnesota, and Oregon i^. 

 — Mexico generally {Sumichrast ^^), Ciudad in Durango {Forrer ^), Mazatlan 

 {Bischoff^^, Grayson ^^), Eio de Coahuayana {Xantus^^), Presidio de Mazatlan 

 (Forrer'^^), Tres Marias Is. (Grayson ^'^^^y Nelson ^^), Santana, Guadalajara, Jalisco 

 (Lloyd ^% Guanajuato (JDuges ^^), Acapulco (Markham ^s), Tamaulipas (Richard- 

 son^% San Baltazar, Puebla (Ferrari-Perez^^), Vera Cruz (Salle ^^), Jalapa 

 (de Oca^^, Ferrari-Perez^), coast of Yucatan (Stone & Baker ^), Cozumel I. 

 (Gaumer^^'^); Guatemala (Constanda^), Lake of Duenas, Yzabal (O.S.'^^^^); 

 Nicaragua, San Juan del Sur (Nutting ^% Lake of Nicaragua, Eio Escondido 

 BIOL. CENTR.-AMER., Aves, Vol, III., Octobcr 1901. 21 



