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The Lower California Reddish Egret

A. J. Rossem

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I have recently had occasion to compare a small series of Reddish Egrets from the Gulf of California with Gulf Coast of Texas specimens. There are certain obvious differences between these two series which it seems advisable to recognize by name, and the race is therefore formally characterized below. It is named for Mr. Donald R. Dickey in partial appreciation of his services to California ornithology.

Dichromanassa rufescens dickeyi, subsp. nov.

Type.-Breeding male, adult; no. 15,112, Coll. Donald R. Dickey; San Luis Island, Gulf of California; April 13, 1925; collected by A. J. van Rosem, no. 8229.

Subspecific characters. Similar to Dichromanassa rufescens rufescens (Gmelin), but head and neck much darker, between cameo brown and chocolate of Ridgway (1912); body, wings and tail throughout, uniform in color, between deep neutral gray and slate color; dorsal plumes concolor with rest of body plumage, only very slightly paler at tips.

Range.-I have been able to examine birds from San Luis Island only; but this is undoubtedly the form which occurs south to Cape San Lucas and on the Pacific side of the peninsula at Scammon Lagoon.

Remarks.-In rufescens, while there is some variation in the color of the upper parts of the body, this is, even in fresh plumage, less plumbeous than in dickeyi. The most conspicuous differences are in the dark color of the head, neck, and underparts. As to size, the only differences observable are the slightly longer wing and tail of the males in the Gulf of California birds.

Four adult males of rufescens from Cameron County, Texas: Wing 330.0; tail 109.6.

Three adult males of dickeyi from Gulf of California: Wing 341.0; tail 119.0.

Specimens examined.-rufescens, Cameron County, Texas, 7, ‘ March and June; dickegi, Gulf of California, San Luis Island, 5, March and April.

Pasadena, California, August 18, 1926

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