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U. S P. R. R. EXP. AND SURVEYS—ZOOLOGY—GENERAL REPORT. 
NYCTIARDEA, Swain son. 
Nyctiardea, Swainson, Classif. Birds, II, 1837, 354. Type Ardea nycticorax, Lin. 
Nycticorax, Stephens, Shaw’s Gen. Zool. XI, xi, 1819, 608. Same type. Not of Moehring, 1752. 
Ch. —Bill very stout; culmen curved from base; the lower outline straight, or a little concave. End of upper mandible gently 
decurved. Tarsi short, equal to the middle toe ; the scales more than usually hexagonal inferiorly. Outer lateral toe rather 
longer. No unusual development of feathers, excepting a long, straight occipital plume of three feathers, rolled together. Neck 
short; moderately feathered behind. 
The night herons, with a certain resemblance to the bittern, differ in the much stouter and 
more curved hill, the lower edge of which is straight, instead of rising at the end. The tarsus 
is equal to the middle toe, not shorter, and is covered anteriorly below by small hexagonal 
scales, instead of large transverse scutellae. The claws are much shorter and more curved. 
The tail has twelve feathers instead of ten. 
NYCTIARDEA GARDENI, Baird. 
Night Heron. 
Ardea naevia, Boddaert, Tabl. pi. enl. 939, 1784. Young. (Gray.) 
Jlrdea gardeni, Gmelin, I, 1788, 644. 
Nycticoraxgardeni, “ Jard.” Bonap. Consp. II, 1855, 141.— Gundl. Cab. Jour. IV, 1856, 346. 
Jlrdea nycticorax, Wilson, Am. Orn. VII, 1813, 10] ; pi. lxi.— Bon. Obs. Wils. 1825, No. 193 .—Aud. Orn. Biog. 
Ill, 1835, 275 : V, 600 ; pi. 236.— Ib. Syn. 261.— Ib. Birds Arner. VI, 1843, 82 ; pi. 363. 
Ardea ( Botaurus ) nycticorax, Bonap. Specchio Comp. 1827, No. 176. —Ib. Syn. 1828, 306. 
Ardea ( Botaurus ) discors, Nutt. Man. II, 1834, 54. 
Nycticorax americanus, Bonap. List, 1838.— Tschudi, Fauna Per.— Gosse, Birds Jam. 1847, 344. 
Sp. Ch. —Head above and middle of back steel green. Wings and tail ashy blue. Under parts, forehead, and long occipital 
feathers white. Sides tinged with lilac. Length, about 25 inches ; wing, 12.50 ; tarsus, 3.15 ; bill above, 3.10. 
Hab .— United States generally. 
Bill very thick at the base, and tapering all the way to the tip. Culmen nearly straight for 
half its length, then considerably curved. Lower outline of bill nearly straight. Gonys proper 
slightly concave. Legs short, hut stout. The tarsus equal to the middle toe; covered throughout 
with hexagonal scales, the anterior largest, hut those on the upper portion much larger, and 
going entirely across. Tibia hare for about one-fifth. Lateral toes nearly equal; the outer 
rather longest. Claws small ; considerably curved. Tail short, of twelve broad, rather stiff 
feathers. 
Head with the occipital feathers elongated, and with two or three very long, straight feathers 
(as long as the bill and head) springing from the occiput. These are rolled up so as to appear 
like a single cylindrical feather. Back of the neck covered with down, but not provided with 
long feathers. Interscapular feathers and scapulars elongated and lanceolate, the webs scarcely 
decomposed. 
The upper part of the head, including the upper eyelids, the occipital crest, and the inter¬ 
scapular region and scapulars, dark lustrous steel green. The wings and tail are ashy blue. 
The under parts, the forehead, and the long occipital feathers are white, passing into pale ashy 
lilac on the sides and on the neck above ; this color, in fact, tinging nearly the whole under 
parts. The region along the base of the bill, however, is nearly pure, as are the tibia. The 
bill is black ; the loral space green ; the iris red ; the feet yellow ; the claws brown. 
