26 
YELLOW-CROWNED HERON. 
JlRDEJl VIOLACER. 
[Plate LXV.— Fig. 1.] 
Lath. Ind. Orn, p. 690, JVo, 50; A, Cayanensis^ Id. p. 680, JVo. 17. — Gen, Syn. Ill, />. 80, 
No. 46; Cayenne Night Heron^ Id. p, 56, No. 16. — Le Crabier de Bahama., Briss. V, p. 
481,41. — Crested Bittern, Catesby, I, pL 79. — Le Crabier gris-de-fer, Buff. VII, p, 
399; Le Bihorcau de Cayenne, Id. p. 439. PI. Enl. 899. — Arct. Zool. No. 352. — Gmel. 
Syst, I, p, 631, No. 16 ; A, Cayennensis, Id. p. 626, No, 31. — Peale’s Museum, No. 3738. 
THIS is one of the nocturnal species of the Heron tribe whose 
manners, place and mode of building its nest, resemble greatly 
those of the common Night Heron (Ardea nycticorax) ; the form 
of its bill is also similar. The very imperfect figure and descrip- 
tion of this species by Catesby, seems to have led the greater part 
of European ornithologists astray, who appear to have copied their 
accounts from that erroneous source, otherwise it is difficult to 
conceive why they should either have given it the name of yellow- 
crowned, or have described it as being only fifteen inches in length ; 
since the crown of the perfect bird is pure white, and the whole 
length very near two feet. The name, however, erroneous as it is, 
has been retained in the present account, for the purpose of more 
particularly pointing out its absurdity, and designating the species. 
This bird inhabits the lower parts of South Carolina, Geor- 
gia, and Louisiana, in the summer season ; reposing during the day 
among low swampy woods, and feeding only in the night. It 
builds in societies, making its nest with sticks among the branches 
of low trees, and lays four pale blue eggs. The species is not nu- 
merous in Carolina, which, with its solitary mode of life, makes 
this bird but little known there. It abounds on the Bahama 
islands, where it also breeds, and great numbers of the young, as 
