Class II. COMMON HERON. 423 



prefs great ignorance in any fcience. This bird was 

 formerly much elteemed as a food ; made a fa- 

 vourite dim at great tables, and was valued at 

 the fame rate as a Pheafant. It is faid to be very 

 long lived ; by Mr. Key/Ier's account it may exceed 

 fixty years * : and by a recent inftance of one that 

 was taken in Holland by a hawk belonging to the 

 fladtholder, its longevity is again confirmed, the 

 bird having a filver plate fattened to one kg, with 

 an infcription, importing it had been before (truck 

 by the elector of Cologne's hawks in 1735. 



The male is a moil elegant bird : the weight a- 

 bout three pounds and a half, the length, three feet 

 three; the breadth, five feet four; the bill fix 

 inches long, very ftrong and pointed : the edges 

 thin and rough ; the color dufky above, yellow be- . 

 neath; noftrils linear-, the irides of a deep yellow ; 

 orbits and fpace between them and the bill covered 

 with a bare greenifh /kin. 



The forehead and crown white, the hind part of 

 the head adorned with a loofe pendent creft of long 

 black feathers waving with the wind ; the upper 

 part of the neck is of a pure white, and the co- 

 verts of the wings of a light grey; the back clad 

 only with down, covered with the fcapulars ; the 

 fore part of the neck white fpotted with a double 

 row of black: the feathers are white, long, narrow, 



* KeyJleSs Travels, I. 70. 



F f 3 unweb- 



