92 
YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT HERON. 
The adult bird represented in the plate was shot by my friend Dr. 
Bachman, a few miles from Charleston, while I was in his company ; and 
the drawing of the plant was made by his amiable sister-in-law, Miss 
Martin. 
Yellow-crowned Heron, Ardea violacea, Wils. Amer. Orn., vol. viii. p. 26. 
Ardea violacea, Bonap. Syn., p. 306. 
White-crowned Heron, Nutt. Man., vol. ii. p. 52. 
Yellow-crowned Heron, Ardea violacea , Aud. Orn. Biog., vol. iv. p. 290. 
Adult, 23J, 43L Young in October, 23 i, 40. 
A few spend the winter in Florida. Migrates in spring as far as New 
Jersey, up the Mississippi to Natchez. Never goes far inland. Not very 
abundant. Migratory. 
Adult Male in spring plumage. 
Bill a little longer than the head, strong, straight, moderately compressed, 
tapering. Upper mandible with the dorsal fine slightly arched and declinate, 
the ridge broad, convex, the sides bulging, the edges sharp and overlapping, 
the tip slender, with a distinct notch. Nasal depression wide, with a broad 
shallow groove extending towards the end of the mandible; nostrils basal, 
oblong, pervious. Lower mandible with the angle very long and narrow, 
the dorsal line straight and sloping upwards, the sides sloping outwards 
and flat, the edges sharp, obscurely serrulate, the tip slender. 
Head large, oblong, compressed. Eyes large. Neck long. Body slender, 
much compressed. Feet long, moderately stout; tibia bare at its lower part, 
with reticular angular scales; tarsus covered anteriorly for more than half its 
length with scutella, over the rest of its extent with angular scales; toes 
long and rather slender, with numerous scutella above, flat beneath, mar- 
ginate; hind toe stout, fourth a little longer than second, third much longer. 
Claws of moderate size, arched, compressed, acute, that of middle toe 
beautifully pectinate on the inner edge. 
Plumage loose, soft, and blended; feathers on the upper part of the head 
lanceolate and acuminate, those on the occiput very long, linear, forming a 
pendant crest, which, however, is capable of being erected; on the sides of the 
neck oblong, and directed obliquely backwards; tin the fore partof the back 
ovate-oblong ; on the lower part generally very long and loose. Between 
the scapulae are two longitudinal series of very elongated feathers, with loose 
margins, the longest extending far beyond the end of the tail. Wings long, 
of great breadth, rounded ; the primaries broad and rounded, the third 
longest, the second and fourth nearly equal, the first half an inch shorter 
than the longest, the rest slowly graduated; secondaries very broad, rounded, 
the inner elongated, some of them nearly as long as the outer primaries 
