162 AUDEID^. 



(Sichmond^^); Costa Rica {Carmiol^^, v. Frantzius^^ ^^), San Jose (Cherrie^, 

 Zeledon ''), Desamparados, Cartago [Zeledon ''), La Palma (Nutting 22), San Lucas, 

 Bebedero, Miravalles ^^ ( Underwood) ; Panama {M'Leantian ^^ 1^), Bay of Panama 

 (Kellett & Wood^^). — South America to Chile and Patagonia-^. 



This Great White Heron is the American representative of Ardea alba of the Old 

 World. It has an extended breeding-range in Temperate North America, from the 

 Columbia Eiver on the west coast to New Jersey on the east ; in Central and South 

 America, though for the most part a winter visitant, nesting-colonies are occasionally 

 found. A. egretta has been recorded by Grayson as a permanent resident at Mazatlan, 

 and by Mr. Cherrie as an inhabitant of Costa Rica, but the bird is only seen about 

 San Jose towards the end of the rainy, and the beginning of the dry, season. 



Mr. Richmond found it breeding abundantly on the islands in the Lake of Nicaragua, 

 and plentiful on the neighbouring rivers and lagoons. 



Although we met with Ardea egretta commonly in Guatemala, the species is of a more 

 solitary habit than most other Herons, rarely more than a pair being seen together. 



The food consists of small mammals, frogs, snakes, lizards, small fish, insects, &c. 



The nest, according to Mr. Ridgway, is a large flat structure of sticks, usually placed 

 in tall trees in cypress-swamps, or overhanging the water, up to a height of one hundred 

 and fifty feet. The eggs are two or three in number and of a light blue colour. 



3. Ardea candidissima. 



Arcka candidissima, Gmel. Syst. Nat. i. p. 633 ' ; Scl. & Salv. P. Z. S. 1867, p. 280^ ; Ferrari-Perez, 



Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. ix. p. 169 " ; Zeled. An. Mus. Nac. Costa Rica, i. p. 130 (1887) ' ; 



Herrera, La Nat. (2) i. pp. 185", 327'; Salv. Ibis, 1889, p. 376"; Richm. Pr. U. S. Nat. 



Mus. xvi. p. 527'; A. O. U. Check-1. N. Amer. Birds, 2nd ed. p. 72'; Nelson, N. Amer. 



Fauna, no. 14, p. 33 ". 

 Herodias candidissima, Scl. P. Z. S. 1857, p. 206". 

 Garzetta candidissima, Moore, P.Z.S. 1859, p. 64"; Scl. P. Z. S. 1859, p. 369"; 1864, p. 179"; 



Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1859, p. 226 '" ; P. Z. S. 1864, p. 371 " ; Cass. Pr. Acad. Philad. 1860, 



p. 196"; Lawr. Ann. Lye. N. Y. vii. p. 301 "; ix. pp. 142", 210'° ; Mem. Bost. Soc. 



N. H. ii. p. 310"; Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus. no. 4, p. 48"; Salv. Ibis, 1865, p. 191"; 



Dugfes, La Nat. i. p. 142 " ; Grayson, Pr. Bost. Soc. N. H. xiv. p. 285 -' ; Nutting, Pr. 



U. S. Nat. Mus. vi. pp. 379 =", 396"; Ridgw. Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. viii. p. 581 ''. 

 Egretta candidissima, Salv. Ibis, 1864, p. 374 '° ; P. Z. S. 1870, p. 218 '°. 

 Leucophoyx candidissima, Sliarpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xxvi. p. 124 " ; Gates, Cat. Eggs Brit. 



Mus. ii. p. 121 '\ 



Ptil. asiiv. Pure alba, plumis dorsalibus elongatis reeurvatis ; pileo nuchaque plumis filamentosis omatis ; 

 prsepectore quoque eodem modo ornato : rostro nigro, basaliter flavieante ; loris et palpebris nudis flavis : 

 peJibas nigris, digitorum plantis flavis vel aurantiacis ; iride flava. Long, tota circa 21-0, alie 10-5, 

 caudsB 3-4, culm. 3-35, tarsi 3-85. (Deser. maris aduiti ex Punta Rassa, Florida. Mus. nostr.) 



$ ad. man similis, sed plumis omamentalibus brevioribus distinguenda. Long, tota 20-5, alae 9-9. (Deser 

 feminae adultie ex Punta Rassa. Mus. nostr.) 



