194 Wii,d Birds and their Haunts 



THE COMMON NIGHT-HERON 

 (NYCTICORAX GARDENII). 



THERE is a distinguishing hoarse call uttered by 

 birds of this particular species, and hence its 

 nomenclature of raven. 



They feed invariably during the night, and remain in- 

 active in the day-time. 



They are generally distributed over the different 

 quarters of the globe ; breed in companies, and on trees, 

 and have the plumage of some dark chaste shade of grey, 

 olive, or brown, above ; white below, but tinted in parts 

 with the same colour as that of the upper parts ; the head 

 crested generally with three long narrow feathers. 



This bird ranges over Europe and America. In Britain 

 it is of occasional appearance, like most of the rare species 

 (egrets, bitterns, &c), and there is no instance of the 

 bird having bred in the British Isles. 



Several times they have been captured both on the 

 coast and on the borders of inland lakes. They are 

 described as extremely noisy and watchful, their sense of 

 hearing being particularly acute ; at the same time they 

 are easily procured by lying in watch, and shooting the 

 birds as they come into their nests or to roost. 



The nests are of considerable size, and are constructed 

 of sticks and roots ; the eggs are of the pale bluish-green 

 common to the greater part of the Ardeadoe. The young 

 are esteemed, as food, equal to young pigeons, and seem 

 to be sought after both by man and the rapacious birds, 

 which collect around the breeding stations for the supply 

 which is at this season there furnished. 



The back of the neck, wings, rump, and tail, are of a 

 fine pearl-grey, palest on the back of the neck ; the fore- 

 head, cheeks, throat, and under parts, pure white ; the 

 crown of the head and nape, with the upper part of the 

 back and mantle, are of a rich glossy greenish-black, the 

 feathers on the centre of the back being rather long, and 

 having their webs unconnected, as in the true herons ; 



