84 
it breeds over all of the Mississippi Valley and remains close to the 
Gulf coast in winter. It migrates later, and did not appear in the mid- 
dle districts until late in April. At Danville, Ill., one was seen April 
21; at Saint Louis, Mo., and Des Moines, Iowa, it was noted April 
26; at Manhattan, Kans., April 29; and by May 1 it had arrived over 
all of INinois and Iowa, and had come to Lanesboro, Minn. At Alda, 
Nebr., it was seen May 3. 
In the fall of 1884 the bulk departed from Des Moines, Iowa, August 
26, and none were seen afterwards. 
In the spring of 1885 the records of the arrival of this species were 
very irregular. It was recorded from Saint Louis, Mo., April 28, and 
Lanesboro, Minn., April 23, with much later dates scattered over the 
intervening country: In the fall of 1885 the last was seen at Grinuell, 
Iowa, September 28, and at Saint Louis, Mo., September 14. The first 
was seen at Emporia, Kans., October 3. 
. 
202. Nycticorax nycticorax nzvius (Bodd.). [495.] Black-crowned Night Heron. 
The common Night Heron breeds throughout the Mississippi Valley, 
and winters both on the Gulf coast and south of it. In mild winters a 
few have sometimes been seen in southern Illinois. In the spring of 
1884 the first record came from Rodney, Miss., March 22, when they 
were heard squawking at night as they passed over the city. On April 
5 they appeared at Laporte City, Iowa, and two days later came to 
Heron Lake, Minn., which is the summer home of great numbers. They 
also breed abundantly in a large marsh in east-central Wisconsin. Col- 
onel Goss says they are rare in Kansas. 
In the spring of 1885 the records of the Black-crowned Night Heron 
were very irregular, as was the case with all the other Herons. Prob- 
ably the species is better known at Heron Lake, Minn., than at any 
other station; it arrived there April 12, and fifty were seen April 17. 
All the rest of the notes came from places south of Heron Lake, and 
were of later date, except one from Gainesville, Tex., April 10. The 
last was seen at Saint Louis, Mo., April 22. 
In the fall of 1885 the last was seen at Grinnell, Iowa, September 28; 
none were reported from Richmond, Kaus., after October 15, but the 
last did not leave Heron Lake, Minn., until November 14. 
203. Nycticorax violaceus (Linn.). [496.] Yellow-crowned Night Heron. 
The present species is more southern than the last, finding its north- 
ern limit in Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, and southern Indiana. 
Four days after the Black-crowned Night Heron flew over Rodney, 
Miss., in the spring of 1884, it was followed by the Yellow-crowned 
(March 26). 
204. Grus americana (Linn.). [582.] Whooping Crane. 
Nests along our northern border, and also in central Illinois; winters 
along the Gulf coast and as far north as the central part of Texas, 
