BIRDS—ARDEIDAE—NYCTHERODIUS VIOLACEUS. 
679 
Specimens are sometimes nearly pure white beneath. In two from California the green 
feathers of the occiput extend further hack on the nape, behind the insertion of the long white 
plume, instead of the hinder ones being inserted in line with this. The black tips to these 
plumes, mentioned by Bonaparte, I have never seen. 
An immature bird differs in having the green of the back and head replaced by dull chocolate 
brown ; the coverts with spots of whitish ; the neck and under parts streaked with dusky. The 
quills have a chocolate red tinge, tipped with whitish. Still younger specimens have all the 
feathers above with terminal spots of whitish. 
The American night heron is similar to the European N. grisea, hut is larger, the bill 
stouter. The young birds have the quills with an apical white spot, not found in the European. 
(Bonaparte.) 
Catal. 
No. 
Sex and 
age. 
Locality. 
When col¬ 
lected. 
Whence obtained. Orig. 
. No. 
Collected by— 
Length. 
Stretch 
of wings. 
Wing. 
Remarks. 
1670 
Philadelphia. 
S. F. Baird... 
4270 
o 
Calcasieu Pass, La. 
1854. 
G. Wiirdemann.. 
4269 
1854. 
4150 
Brownsville, Texas. 
April 27,1853 
Capt. Van Yliet.... 3 
26.00 
43.00 
12.50 
4151 
o 
April 3,1853 
.do. 29 
25.00 
44.00 
12.50 
4149 
8 
Pesquieria Grande,N.Leon 
May, 1853.... 
33.25 
42.50 
12.75 
blue and yellow. 
4148 
9 
33.75 
42.50 
12.75 
5113 
Texas. 
Capt. Pope. 
9889 
o 
San Diego.. .... 
Lieut. Ives. . 
9888 
9 
Dr. Hammond. 
5564 
8 
Petaluma, Cal..». 
June 18.1856 
£. Samuels.. 81 
NYCTHERODIUS, Reich. 
Nijctherodius, Reiciienb. Naturl. Syst. Vogel, in Systema Avium, 1853, p. xvi. Type Jlrdea violacea, L. 
Nycticorax, Boie, Isis, 1826. Not of Stephens and Moehring. 
Ch.—B ill very thick and stout, Loth outlines much and about equally curved ; commissure nearly straight. Tarsi moderate ; 
the scales, except anteriorly above, strongly hexagonal ; middle toe considerably shorter than tarsus ; outer lateral rather the 
longer ; claws small, obtuse, much curved. Tail of twelve broad feathers. Head with the occipital feathers elongated ; a few 
much longer. Scapulars and interscapulars lanceolate, the latter reaching to end of tail. 
NYCTHERODIUS YIOLACEUS, Reich. 
Yellow-crowned Night Heron. 
Jlrdea violacea, Linn. Syst. Nat. I, 1766, 238.— Gmel. I, 631.— Lath. Ind. II, 690.— Wilson, Am. Orn. VIII, 
1814, 26 ; pi. lxv.—Bon. Obs. 1825, No. 196— Aud. Orn. Biog. IV,-1838, 290 ; pi. 336.— Ib. 
Syn. 262.— Ib. Birds Amer. VI, 1843, 89 ; pi. 364. 
Jlrdea ( Botaurus ) violacea, Bonap. Specchio, 1827, No. 177.— Nutt. Man. II, 1834, 52. 
JVyctiurdea violacea, Swainson, Birds, II, 1837, 354. 
Nycticorax violaceus, Bonap. 
Nyetherodius violaceus, Reiciienb. Syst. Av. 1853, p. xvi.— Bonap. Conspectus, II, 1855, 142.— Gundlacii, Cab. 
Jour. IV, 1856, 346. 
Jlrdea jamaicensis, Gmelin, I, 1788, 625. 
Jlrdea cayanensis, Gmelin, I, 1788, 626. 
“ Jlrdea sexsetacea, Vieill. Diet.” 
“ Jlrdea callocephala, Wagler.” 
Yellow-crowned heron, Pennant. 
Ch.—N eck and body uniform grayish plumbeous ; the head bluish black ; the hood and a broad patch on the side of the 
head yellowish white. Interscapular and scapular feathers dusky, edged with grayish plumbeous. Length, 24.00 ; wing, 12.00 ; 
tarsus, 3.70 ; bill above, 2.78. Hah. —South Atlantic and Gulf States ; South America. 
