HERONS AND BITTERNS. 131 



survey their surroundings. Tiiey take wing almost from beneath one's 

 feet, and, with a low, frightened qua, fly slowly for a short distance 

 and then drop back into the grass. During the breeding season one 

 may hear what presumably is the voice of only the male — a soft, slowly 

 repeated, dovelike coo, coo, coo, coo, coo. It floats over the marsh like 

 the voice of a spirit bird. 



191. 1. Ardetta neoxena Cory. Coky's Bittern. Ad. i .—"Top of 

 the head, back, and tail dark greenish black, showing a green gloss when held 

 in the light. Sides of the head and throat rufous-chestnut, the feathers on the 

 back of the neck showing greenish-black tips; breast and under parts nearly 

 uniform rufous-chestnut, shading into dull black on the sides ; wing-coverts 

 dark rufous-chestnut, all the remiges entirely slaty plumbeous; under tail- 

 coverts uniform dull black. W., 4-30 ; Tar., 1-40 ; B., 1-80 " (Cory, orig. descr.. 

 Auk, iii, 1886, p. 262). 



This small Bittern was described from a specimen taken in the 

 Everglades of Florida. Five additional specimens have since been 

 secured in the same region, to which, until recently, the species was 

 supposed to be confined. Within the past few years, however, seven 

 specimens have been taken in the Toronto marshes, where A. exilis is 

 common, and one is recorded from Michigan. It seems to me not un- 

 likely that, as Mr. W. E. T). Scott suggests, neoxena may prove to be a 

 color phase of A. exilis. (Cf. Scott, Auk, viii, 1891, p. 309 ; ix, 1892, 

 p. 141 ; and Chapman, ihid., xiii, 1896, p. 11.) 



192. Ardea occidentalis Aud. Gkeat White Hekon. Ad. — En- 

 tirely white ; in breeding plumage, with long, narrow, stiffened feathers on the 

 back and lower foreneck, and two narrow plumes on the back of the crown. 

 "L., 45-00-54-00; W., 17-00-21 -00; B., 6-00-7-00; Tar, 8-00-8-75" (Kidgw.). 



ifo»^«.— Jamaica and Cuba north to the coasts of southern Florida, casu- 

 ally to Anclote Eiver and Micco. 



Nest, a platform of sticks in colonies in mangrove bushes. Eggs, three to 

 four, pale, dull blue, 2-50 x 1-80. 



This is a common species on the coasts of southern Florida, par- 

 ticularly in the vicinity of Cape Sable. Barely it is found as far north 

 as the Anclote River on the west coast and Micco on the east coast. 

 This bird is as large as the Great Blue Heron, and must not be con- 

 fused with Ardea egreita, to which the name Great White Heron is 

 frequently applied. 



ArdecL wuerdmanni Baird has been considered to be a color phase 

 of this species, but its true standing is unknown. It is described by 

 Coues as follows : 



" Head, with the crest, white, the forehead streaked with black edges of the 

 feathers; under parts white, the sides streaked with black ; lower plumes of 

 neck white, mostly streaked with black edges of the feathers ; neck purplish 



