42 
ALTRICIAL G-RALLATORES — HERODIONES. 
son is extremely unsuspicious and easily approached. It acquires its full plumage 
the second year, but continues to increase in size for several years. The flesh of 
the young bird is said to afford good eating. Its food consists of small fry, water 
insects, slugs, snails, leeches, and aquatic lizards. 
According to Mr. Moore, it is a true scraper or raker ; but, like the Reddish Egret, 
resorts to this practice much less frequently than the candidissima. It saunters 
about at times in the waters of the Bay, near the shores, on sandbars, and in the 
fresh ponds, in an awkward and heedless manner. There is less dash and impetuosity 
in its style of fishing, or seeking its prey, than in that of the Reddish Egret, although 
it runs through the clear water of the Bay, with its wings expanded, and sometimes 
flapping, suddenly wheeling, and halting to keep its eyes on the flying fish. At 
other times — imitating the little Green Heron — having noticed some object near the 
surface, a yard or more distant, it lowers its head, doubles up its neck, draws its head 
back to its shoulders, holds its bill in a line with its back, which is parallel to the 
surface of the water, and creeping along by very slow steps till within striking 
distance, thrusts its bill forward suddenly at the object. This is a very common 
practice, either in the Bay or in fresh ponds, and only this bird and the Green Heron 
adopt this catlike mode of creeping, crouching, and springing upon their prey. 
Eggs of this species in my collection, obtained by Dr. Bryant in Florida, measure 
1.80 inches in length by 1.32 in breadth. They are oval in shape, one end but just 
perceptibly more obtuse than the other. Their color is Prussian blue, with a slight 
shading of green, and of a deeper tint than most of the eggs of this family. 
Mr. Moore thinks that this bird has at least two broods in a season, as he has 
found fresh eggs laid April 10, May 10, and June 1. On the 30th of March, 1874, 
he found a nest of this species containing six eggs, and on April 15 it had five young 
and one egg. 
Genus FLORIDA, Baird. 
Florida, Baird, B. N. Am. 1858, 671. Type, Ardea ccerulea, Linn. 
F. ccerulea. 
Gen. Char. Small Herons, dark plumbeous, with maroon-colored necks ; pure white, with 
bluish tips to some of the primaries ; or with the plumage variously intermediate between these 
