ARDEID.E THE HERONS. 132* 



rusty; wings and tail as in the adult, but light borders to larger wing-coverts more ochra- 

 ceous.and the two or three middle rows marked with median wedge-shaped dashes of the 

 same. Bill lighter colored than in the adult, dull greenish prevailing, only the culmen 

 dusty, the lower mandible mostly pale yellowish; legs and feet dull greenish yellow or 

 olivaceous. 



Length, about 15. 00-22. SO; expanse, 25.00-27.00, Weight, 6)6 ounces (A.UDUBON). Wing, 

 6.M-S.OO: tail, 2.40-3.40; culmen, 2.00-2.55; depth of bill. .40-.60; tarsus, 1,75-2.15; middle toe, 

 1.65-1.95; bare portion of tibia, .70-.UO. 



This small and very handsome heron is per-haps the most 

 generally distributed species of the family, being found along- 

 all streams which pass through or near wooded tracts. It 

 comes from the south in April, and departs in September or 

 October. 



According to Mr. N. B. Moore (as quoted by Dr. Brewer in 

 the Water Birds of North America), "this heron has its own pe- 

 culiar manner of searching for its food, which, in some respects, 

 differs from that of all the other kinds. It fishes from the shore 

 or from a log, root, snag, or shelving rock, preferring not to 

 wade into the water or to stand in it ; still, on seeing a tempt- 

 ing morsel, it will quit its point of observation and walk into 

 the water towards it. Its approach at such times is peculiar; 

 though the Louisiana Heron seems occasionally to copy its 

 style, except that the latter is constantly in the water at the 

 time of fishing. The Green Heron, however, on, seeing a fish, 

 crouches low on its legs, draws back its head, crooks its neck, 

 creeps slyly along, laying its tarsi almost down on the rock or 

 the ground, carries the bill level with the top of the back, and, 

 when near enough, darts the bill forward towards it, sometimes 

 with such force as to topple forward a step or two. It seldom 

 immerses its head in fishing, is always disposed to steal upon 

 its prey in a sly, cat-like, crouching manner, remaining quite 

 motionless for a long time, and often advancing so slowly and 

 stealthily that even a keen-eyed observer would hardly perceive 

 the motion. Its antipathy to and jealousy of its own species 

 at the feeding-grounds is decided." 



GENUS NYCTICORAX STEPHENS. 



Nycticorax STEPHENS, Shaw's Gen. Zool. xi, 1819, 608. Type, Ardea nycticorax LINK. 



GEN. CHAR. Bill comparatively short and thick, the culmen not linger than the tarsus, 

 and equal to not more than four times the greatest depth of the bill; plumage of the young 

 conspicuously different from (hat of the adult. 

 E. 



