136 
GREAT AMERICAN WHITE EGRET, 
loaded and fired. as fast as he could. Many of the birds lodged on the 
highest branches of the cypresses, others fell into the nest, and, in most 
cases, when shot from a limb, where they had been sitting, they clung to it 
for some time before they would let go. One thing surprised me : it was 
the length of time it took for a bird to fall from the place where it was shot, 
and it fell with a loud noise into the water. Many wounded birds fell some 
distance off, and we could not conveniently follow them on account of the 
heavy wading through the place. We brought home with us forty-six of 
the large White Herons, and three of the Groat Blue. Many more might 
have been killed, but we became tired of shooting them.” 
Ardea Egretta, Gmel. Syst. Nat., vol. i. p. 629. 
Great White Heron, Ardea Egretta , Wils. Araer. Orn., vol. vii. p. 106. 
Ardea alba, Bonap. Syn., p. 304. 
Ardea Egretta, Wagler, Syst. Av. 
Great White Heron, Nutt. Man., vol. ii. p. 47. 
Great American Egret, Ardea Egretta , Aud. Ora. Biog., vol. iv. p. 600. 
Male, 37, 57. 
Resident in Florida, and Galveston Bay in Texas. Migrates in spring 
sometimes as far as Massachusetts ; up the Mississippi to Natchez. Breeds 
in all intermediate districts. Returns south before winter. Very abundant. 
Adult Male in summer. 
Bill much longer than the head, straight, compressed, tapering to a point, 
the mandibles nearly eoual. Upper mandible with the dorsal line nearly 
straight, the ridge broad and slightly convex at the base, narrowed and 
becoming rather acute towards the end, a groove from the base to two-thirds 
of the length, beneath which the sides are convex, the edges thin and sharp, 
with a notch close to the acute tip. Nostrils basal, linear, longitudinal, with 
a membrane above and behind. Lower mandible with the angle extremely 
narrow and elongated, the dorsal line beyond it ascending and almost 
straight, the edges sharp and direct, the tip acuminate. 
Head small, oblong, compressed. Neck very long and slender. Body 
slender and compressed. Feet very long, tibia elongated, its lower half 
bare, slender, covered anteriorly and laterally with hexagonal scales, pos- 
teriorly with scutella ; tarsus elongated, compressed, covered anteriorly 
with numerous scutella, some of which are divided laterally and posteriorly 
with angular scales. Toes of moderate length, rather slender, scutellate 
above, granulate beneath ; third toe considerably longer than the fourth, 
which exceeds the second ; the first large ; the claws of moderate length, 
rather strong, arched, compressed, rather acute, that of the hind toe much 
larger, the inner edge of that of the third regularly pectinated. 
