AEDEA. 163 



Ptih Mem. plitosi aestivse similis, sed plumis ornamentalibus nullis : rostro basin versus flavicante. (Descr. 



fern, adiiltaa ex Punta Eassa. Mus. nostr.) 

 Juv. adultis similis, pure alba, vix cristata, plumis ornamentalibus nullis. 



Hob. Tempeeate and Tropical North America, from Long Island and Oregon south- 

 wards, casually to Nova Scotia and Southern British Columbia ^. — Mexico, Tampico 

 {Richardson ^i), Tres Marias Is. [Grayson ^i ^^, Nelson '^^), Presidio de Mazatlan 

 {Forrer ^^), Mazatlan {Bischoff^^, Grayson 2^), Kio de Coahuayana, Colima 

 [Xantus'^^), Guanajuato {Duges'^'^), Valley of Mexico [Herrera^^), city of Mexico 

 {TlTiiie ^'^), Laguna del Rosario, Tlaxcala (Ferrari-Perez^), Jalapa (de Oca^^, 

 Salle 1^), Santa Efigenia, Tehuantepec, Oaxaca (Sumichrast^^), Progreso, Yucatan 

 [Scliott^^), Merida (Gaumer^^), Cozumel I. (Bean^^, Gaumer "^ ^^) ; British 

 Honduras, Turneff Lagoon, Man-o'-War Cay (0. S. ^^), Belize (Blancaneaux ^^) ; 

 Guatemala, Chiapam (0. S.^^), Lake of Duenas, Coban, Yzabal (0. S.^^^^}; 

 Honduras, River Chilomo (Leyland ^'^) ; Nicaragua, San Juan del Sur, Pacific 

 coast ^^, Ometepe I., Lake of Nicaragua ^^ (Nutting), Blewfields (Wickham^), 

 Eio Frio, Rio Escondido (Richmond^); Costa Rica (Capt. Bow^^), Liberia 

 (Zeledon ^) ; Panama, Castillo (E. ArcS ^o), Lion Hill Station (M'Leannan i^ ^^ s^).— 

 South America generally ^^. 



The Snowy Egret takes the place of the European Ardea garzetta in the New 

 World. In breeding-plumage it has a very large crest of decomposed feathers, but no 

 elongated ornamental plumes on the neck ; on this account Dr. Bowdler Sharpe placed 

 it in a separate genus, Leucophoyx. 



Considerable variation in size is found even in birds from the same locality and 

 procured at the same time of year. 



A. candidissima breeds throughout the greater part of its range in the United States 

 and also in favourable localities in Central America, as Salvin found nests with both 

 eggs and young on Man-o'-War Cay, ofi" the coast of British Honduras ^^. Dr. Gundlach 

 says that large communities breed in Cuba ; and from Natterer's localities and dates it 

 should nest in Brazil, as it certainly does in Chili ^2. In winter the species migrates 

 southward, and is seen abundantly in small flocks in many of the Central- American 

 States. It frequents both coasts of Guatemala, and is very common on the Atlantic ; 

 we procured specimens, too, at Chiapam, on the Pacific. Mr. Nutting found large 

 numbers on both coasts of Nicaragua, and it has also been recorded from some of 

 the rivers of that country. Gregarious during the nesting-season, this bird breeds in 

 colonies like other Egrets. Formerly there were enormous numbers of nesting birds, 

 but the constant shooting of these and other Herons during the breeding-time has 

 entirely destroyed many of the colonies in North America. 



The late Dr. Brewer gives an interesting account of their habits from his own 

 experience and that of his correspondents. One of the latter, Mr. N. B. Moore, 



21* 



