228 
HERONS AND BITTERNS 
202. Nyeticorax nyeticorax naevius ( Bodd .). Black - crowned 
Night Heron. Ads. — Forehead, lores, neck and underparts white or 
whitish; crown, upper back and scapulars glossy, greenish black; lower 
back, wings and tail ashy gray; legs and feet yellow; lores greenish; two or 
three white rounded occipital plumes about 8'00 in length. Im. — Upper- 
parts grayish brown, the feathers streaked or with wedge-shaped spots of 
white or buffy; outer web of primaries pale rufous; underparts white, 
streaked with blackish. L., 24*00; W., 12*00; Tar., 3*20; B., 3*00. 
Range . — N. and S. Am. Breeds from n. Ore., s. Wyoming, s. Man., n. 
Que., and N. S. s. to Patagonia; winters from n. Calif, and Gulf States 
southward; casual in winter n. to Mass, and s. Ills. 
Washington, not uncommon S. R., occasional in winter. Long Island, 
S. R., Apl. 12-Sept. 29; a few winter. Ossining, common S. R., Apl. 6-Oct. 
20. Cambridge, formerly P. R., now found sparingly chiefly in late sum- 
mer and early fall; Apl. 10-Nov. 1. N. Ohio, occasional in summer. Glen 
Ellyn, quite common S. R., Apl. 8-Oct. 15. SE. Minn., uncommon S. R., 
May 15. 
Nest , of sticks, in colonies, in the upperparts of tall trees, sometimes in 
bushes or on the ground. Eggs, 3-6, pale, dull blue, 2*00 x 1*40. Date , 
San Mateo, Fla., Mch. 29; Chester Co., Pa., May 3; Ossining, N. Y., May 7. 
These birds live in colonies composed sometimes of thousands of 
pairs. Their day begins after sunset, when they leave their roosts and 
start for their feeding-grounds. Occasionally they utter a loud, hoarse 
quawk , the origin of their common name; and looking up we may 
catch a glimpse of them hurrying through the gloom. During the 
nesting-season the demands of the young force them to feed both by 
day and night. 
1900. Chapman, F. M., Bird Studies with a Camera, 76-85 (nesting on 
L. I.). 
203. Nyetanassa violacea {Linn.). Yellow-crowned Night Heron. 
Ads. — Crown white, generally washed with buffy; ear-coverts white; rest of 
head and throat black; neck, breast and belly blue-gray; back the same; 
the lengthened interscapulars, scapulars and wing-coverts streaked with 
black; two or three black and white rounded occipital plumes; lores greenish 
yellow; legs greenish. Im. — Crown black, the feathers streaked with white 
or buffy; rest of upperparts, including wing-coverts, fuscous-brown with 
wedge-shaped buffy or white spots; primaries dark bluish slate-color without 
rufous; underparts white or buffy streaked with blackish'. L., 23*00; W., 
12*00; Tar., 3*75; B., 3*00. 
Remarks. — Young birds bear a general resemblance to those of the pre- 
ceding species, but differ in being darker, in having the head darker than the 
back, and the primaries without rufous. 
Range. — Warm temperate and tropical Am. Breeds from s. L. Calif., 
Kans., s. Ills., s. Ind., and S. C. s. to Brazil and Peru; casual n. to Colo., 
Ont., Mass., Maine, and N. S.; winters from s. L. Calif., and s. Fla., 
southward. 
Washington, A. V., one record, Aug. 1901. Long Island, three records. 
Cambridge, A. V., one record, July. 
Nest, a platform of sticks, in pairs or small colonies, generally on a 
branch over water. Eggs, 4-5, pale dull blue, 1*95 x 1*45. Date , San Mateo, 
Fla., Apl. 2; eoast, S. C., Apl. 20. 
This is a less common species than the preceding. It nests in pairs 
along the borders of wooded streams and is also found nesting in asso- 
ciation with other Herons. 
