ARDEIDtE — THE HERONS — BUTORIDES. 
51 
_ Key, 1872, 268; Check List, 1873, no. 457 ; Birds N. W. 1874, 522. — Reichenow, J. f. O. 
, 1877, 255. 
Butoridcs viresccns, Bonap. Consp. II. 1855, 128. — Baird, Birds N. Am. 1858, 676 ; Cat. N. Ann 
B. 1859, no. 493. — Ridgw. Noin. N. Am. B. 1881, no. 494. — Coues, Check List, 2d ed. 1882, 
no. 663. 
drabber dc la Louisianc, Buff. PI. Enl. 1770-84, pi. 909 (adult). 
Crabier tachcle, dc la Martinique, Buff. PI. Enl. 912 (youug). 
Green Heron, Latii. Synop. III. 1785, 68. 
Louisiana Heron, Lath. t.c. 81. 
Ardea ludoviciana, Gmel. S. N. I. ii. 1788, 630, no. 39 (based on PI. Enl. 909). 
I Blue Heron, var. B., Lath. Synop. III. 1785, 75 (Queen Charlotte’s Sound). 
Ardea chloroptaro, Bodd. Tabl. P. E. 1783, pi. 909. 
Cancroma maculcda, Bodd. t.c. pi. 912. 
? Ardea virgata, Gmel. S. N. I. ii. 1788, 643. 
Hab. The whole of temperate North America, West Indies, Middle America, and northern 
South America, to Venezuela ; north to Canada West and Oregon ; abundant both in the Pacific 
States and Eastern Province, but apparently wanting in the Middle Province ; Bermudas. 
Sp. Char. Adult : Entire pileum, including occipital crest, glossy dark metallic bottle-green ; 
rest of the head and neck, except throat and foreneck, rich chestnut, varying from a cinnamon 
shade to a fine purplish maroon ; bare orbital space bordered posteriorly with greenish black, from 
the lower part of which projects backward, from the rictus, a short stripe of the same ; below this, 
along the upper edge of the malar region, a narrow stripe of white, the lower malar feathers being 
mixed black and rufous, forming another stripe ; throat and foreneck, from chin to jugulum, white, 
marked with broad longitudinal dashes of dusky. Lower parts ash-gray, the lining of the wing 
somewhat spotted, and distinctly bordered, outwardly, with creamy white. Scapular plumes glau- 
cous-plumbeous, with a green reflection in certain lights, the shafts white. Wing-coverts and 
rectrices brilliant metallic bottle-green, the former distinctly bordered, narrowly, with fulvous-white ; 
these borders on the lesser-coverts, more rusty or fulvous ; rectrices immaculate bottle-green ; remiges 
and primary-coverts plumbeous, with a green reflection, the inner primaries and adjoining second- 
aries with narrow crescentic tips of white, the coverts with terminal deltoid spots of the same. 
Bill deep black, the lower mandible sometimes partly yellowish or greenish ; lores and orbits vary- 
ing from olive-green to bright yellow ; iris gamboge-yellow ; legs and feet olive-green or olive-yellow, 
the scutellie more greenish ; claws horn-color. Young: Pileum, including crest, as in the adult, 
but usually streaked with dark rusty anteriorly ; sides of the head and neck dull dark rusty, indis- 
tinctly streaked with light ochraceous, or buff; lower parts white, tinged with buff, and striped with 
dusky. Back, scapulars, and rump uniform dull dusky-green, some of the feathers indistinctly 
bordered with rusty ; wings and tail as in the adult, but light borders to larger wing-coverts 
more ochraceous, and the two or three middle rows marked with medial wedge-shaped dashes of 
