400 AKDEIN^ 



and tail, the connection of Ardea with Tantalus is obvious. 

 Even the bill of the latter has a considerable resemblance to 

 that of the Ardeina?, while the bareness of its head more par- 

 ticularly indicates an affinity to the Storks. The Tantali 

 almost blend with the Spoonbills and Ibises, and the latter 

 are scarcely distinguishable from the Curlews, which belong 

 to the family of Scolopacinse or Snipes. Some of the smaller 

 Ardeina?, of the Bittern genus, seem in structure and habits 

 to be related even to the Rails and Gallinules, which are of 

 themselves allied to some of the Rasores. But, to explain 

 these relations fully would require a larger space than can 

 well be afforded in a Avork on the birds of a particular 

 country. What has been said, however, will shew that the 

 Ardeinae are by no means so isolated as they might at first 

 seem to be. 



In like manner, it may be remarked, the affinities of any 

 particular group, family, or genus of the Grallatorial Birds 

 might be shewn to have complex affinities with other groups. 

 The Herons themselves, from feeding chiefly on fish, and 

 having a very wide oesophagus, are allied to the piscatorial 

 swimming birds. But, without entering into such extended 

 considerations, I think it must be obvious to most persons, 

 who are not authors of systems founded on superficial cha- 

 racters, or partizans blinded by prejudice and obstinate from 

 pride, that internal structure must be studied before a natural 

 arrangement can be discovered. 



The ArdeinaB cannot be defined by many characters 

 equally applicable to all the species. Perhaps the following 

 general features may afford a sufficiently definite idea of 

 them : — 



They are birds of very large, moderate, or very small 

 size. The body seems large when viewed laterally, but is 

 much compressed, and in the smaller species extremely nar- 

 rowed ; the neck long and generally slender ; the head 

 oblong, much compressed, flattened in front. The bill is 

 long, straight, stout, tapering, compressed ; the upper man- 

 dible with its dorsal line nearly straight, the ridge broad at 

 the base, narrowed in the rest of its extent, the sides sloping 

 outwards, the edges thin, the tip acuminate. The mouth is 



