BIRDS-ARDEIDAE-ARDEA. 
6G7 
HERODIAS EGRETTA, var. CALIFORNIA, Baird. 
Ch. —Pure white. Larger than II. cgretta. Length, 43 inches ; wing, 17 ; tarsus, 6.70 ; bill, 5. 
Hab .—Coast of southern California, and perhaps the Rio Grande of Texas. 
This bird is very similar to Herodias egretta, but is considerably larger ; the tibiae are bare for 
half their length. The feathers of the back are not fully grown out, so that I can make no 
comparison in this respect, but the scapulars are more elongated and plume-like than in the 
other species, and there is a tendency to the same along the belly. The bill appears of a more 
brilliant yellow, dusky only near the tip above. 
It is possible that this may be only a variety of the H. egretta , but the size is so much greater 
as almost to warrant its specific separation. 
List of specimens. 
Catal. 
No. 
Locality, 
When col¬ 
lected. 
Whence obtained. 
Length. 
Stretch 
of wings. 
Wing. 
Remarks. 
9470 
4610 
8066 
5108 ? 
Feb. 20,1855. 
39.00 
57.00 
16.00 
ARDEA, Linn. 
Ardea, Linn. Syst. Nat. I, 1735. Type A. cinerea. 
Ch. —Bill very thick ; culmen nearly straight; gonys ascending, its tip more convex than that of culmen. Middle toe 
more than half the tarsus ; tibia bare for nearly or quite one-half. Claws short, much curved ; outer toe longest. Tarsus 
broadly scutellate anteriorly. 
Occiput with a few elongated occipital feathers. Scapulars elongate lanceolate ; as long as the secondaries. No dorsal 
plumes. Tail of twelve broad stiffened feathers. Back of neck well feathered. Size very large. Colors plumbeous; 
streaked beneath. 
The two North American species of the genus as restricted, are distinguished as follows : 
Common characters. —Above bluish ash ; the primaries and outer secondaries blackish plum¬ 
beous. Head white and black. Middle of throat white, streaked with black and rufous. Edge 
of the wing and the tibia rufous. 
Bill, 5.50. Tarsus, 6.50. Middle toe two-thirds the tarsus. Tibia bare for about one- 
third. Under parts, except crissum, black ; the middle of the belly broadly streaked 
with white. Neck light cinnamon brownish. Head, with the crest black; the 
forehead white. A. herodias. 
Bill, 6.50. Tarsus, 9. Middle toe not two-thirds the tarsus. Tibia bare for nearly 
half. Under parts white ; the feathers of the sides of breast and belly streaked black 
and white. Neck ashy. Head, with the crest white ; the forehead streaked with 
blackish.... A. wurdemannii. 
