112 MANUAL 



Florida, The Little Blue Heron. 

 Butorides, The Green Heron. 

 Nyctiardea, The Black-crowned Night Heron. 

 Nyctherodius, The Yellow-crowned Night Heron. 



The changes among the above genera have been something frightful, within 

 very recent years even, and the names Ardea, Egretta, Herodias, have ap- 

 plied successively to nearly every species of the entire family. 

 Garzeita has been tolerably constant to the Snowy Heron ; and Audubo- 

 nia to the Great White Heron {not the Great White Egret). 



Sub-family b BOTAURIN.ffi Bitterns 

 Tail with only ten feathers ; the outer toe is shorter than 

 the inner one. 



The Bitterns are found inland at immense distances from the 

 sea, as well as i'ar North and South on our continent. They 

 build on the ground, and their eggs are brown or white barely 

 tinged. They generally seek escape when alarmed by skulk- 

 ing and remaining quiet until the intruder has gone. 



Genera, Botaurus, The American Bittern. 

 Ardetta, The Least Bittern. 



Both the above species have appeared under the names of Ardea and Bu- 

 tor, but not recently ; Ardetta has also been known as Ardeola. 



FAMILY XL VI GRUIDAE THE CRANES 



Latin grus, a crane. 

 The Cranes are usually supposed to occupy a position be- 

 tween the Herons and the Rails. As a family, their size alone 

 would distinguish them. They inhabit the interior of North 

 America. The head is more or less naked, or ornamented 

 with curious appendages peculiar to birds having that curious 

 appearance about the above-named region ; the neck and legs 

 are extremely long ; bill generally longer than the head, very 

 strong yet slender, straight, and compressed ; nostrils large, 

 open, and situated near the centre of the bill ; tarsus with an- 

 terior scutellse, front toes short and partly webbed, and hind 

 toe elevated ; head without crest ; wings large and broad ; 

 tail short, of twelve feathers. There is but a single genus. 



Genus, Grus, (3 species). 



The Cranes once passed current as Ardea, but not recently. 



