BIRDS ARDEIDAE BUTORIDES VIRESCENS. 
677 
late, well defined feathers. Feathers of back and scapulars similar, the latter not reaching to 
the tip of the tail. Feathers of the neck broad, the webs somewhat decomposed. Top of the 
head, with the crest, and the entire upper parts, metallic glossy green, darkest on the head ; 
the coverts all edged narrowly with brownish yellow ; the shafts of scapulars and interscapulars 
whitish. The scapulars and interscapulars sometimes tinged with opaque plumbeous. Neck 
and long feathers covering the jugulum purplish chestnut ; the chin and central line of the 
throat white, streaked with dusky greenish. Under parts and sides of body plumbeous ash. 
Bill black above ; yellowish beneath. Feet greenish yellow. 
Younger specimens lack the scapular development. The colors generally are duller. The 
under parts white, streaked with brown. The coverts more spotted. 
As already stated, this species differs from B. scapularis, of Brazil, among other points, in 
having the neck purplish chestnut instead of ashy. 
Grundlach 1 describes a species of Butorides from Cuba, (B. brunnescens,) which differs in having 
the tip of the lower mandible greenish white, the naked skin of face olive black, that around 
the eye yellowish green. The legs olive brown. The lesser wing coverts and small quills dark 
metallic green, with very slight rusty edges. The large quills without white. Lesser under 
wing coverts gray, with scarcely brownish border. Throat feathers yellowish brown ; dark gray 
at the base ; the feathers of the fore neck blackish, with green metallic lustre, with rusty tips 
and pale yellowish lateral edges. In virescens there are two stripes on the side of the head, one 
from the angle of the mouth, and one from the base of the lower mandible towards the ear, and 
between them a white stripe streaked with black ; of this latter stripe there is no trace in brun- 
nescens. 
I introduce this indication of what Cabanis considers a very good species, to call attention to 
it as being almost the only Cuban heron recorded by Gundlach not yet detected within our limitSj 
and undoubtedly yet to be found in Florida. 
List of specimens. 
Oatal. 
No. 
Sex and 
age. 
Locality. 
When col- 
lected. 
Whence obtained. 
Orig. 
No. 
Collected by— 
Length. 
Stretch 
Wing. 
Remarks. 
1126 
298 
OS 
July 18,1843 
April 17,1841 
4926 
5891 
Prairie Mer Rouge 
4271 
4272 
7068 
8189 
<? 
May 28,1857 
July 9, 1857 
101 
W. S. Wood... 
18.25 
21.00 
7.50 
3 
Wm. N. Magravv. . 
Capt. Van Vliet 
Major Emory 
125 
Dr. Cooper .... 
17.75 
23.2.3 
4.75 
Iris yellow ; bill black 
and yel'w; feetyel'w. 
4154 
9487 
20 
17.50 
25.50 
28.00 
7.00 
Q 
Q 
May 4,1852 
J. H. Clark.... 
19.00 
8.00 
4153 
9488 
19.50 
28.12 
7.75 
Eyes and feet green ; 
bill yellow and slate. 
June, 1852... 
Major Emory 
9490 
San Bois creek, Choc- 
taw county. 
H.B.Mbllhauscn 
9489 
Lieut. Williamson. 
9491 
1 — 
J.Xantusde Vesey 
1 Ardea brunnescens, Gundlach, Lembeye, Av. Cuba, tab. xii. 
Ocniscus brunnescens, Cab. Journal fur Orn. IV, 1856, 344. 
