PURPLE HERON. 455 



the occiput to the middle of the neck, a line on each side 

 from the angle of the mouth to the occiput, and another 

 from the cheek to the middle of the neck, bluish-black. The 

 throat white, a band of light red down the fore-neck, with 

 the medial feathers having a longitudinal black line, the 

 sides of the neck reddish-white, and a band of the same from 

 the eye to the occiput ; on the hind-neck from the middle a 

 band of bluish-grey expanding below. The elongated feathers 

 in front black along the inner web, white on the outer, with 

 the margin red. Upper parts light greyish-blue ; the middle 

 of the back darker, with a greenish gloss ; the outer elon- 

 gated plumes light blue, with the extremity light red. The 

 edge of the wing light red ; the quills externally light blue ; 

 toward the end and on the inner webs black. The tail blue 

 at the base, black toward the end. Elongated feathers on 

 the fore part of the breast of a rich reddish-purple colour ; 

 those along the middle of the breast greenish-black, tinged 

 with grey, and with red on their outer webs ; a longitudinal 

 band of dull red on each side of the breast ; the sides light 

 bluish-grey. The lower suface of the wings light red, ex- 

 cepting the larger coverts, which are light blue, as is % the 

 under surface of the quills ; the outer primaries obliquely and 

 irregularly banded with blue and black toward the end. 

 Feathers of the tibiae light red ; lower tail-coverts greenish- 

 black, with some white. 



Length to end of tail 36 inches ; bill along the ridge 5£, 

 along the edge of lower mandible 6f ; wing from flexure 

 15^- ; tail 6 ; bare part of tibia 3^ ; tarsus 5£ ; first toe 2, its 

 claw 1-^- ; second toe 3-^, its claw 1^ ; third toe 4^, its 

 claw 1^ ; fourth toe 3^-, its claw \%. 



Female. — The female resembles the male. 



Habits. — The Purple Heron appears to be very exten- 

 sively distributed, being found in India, the Philippine Isles, 

 the borders of the Red Sea, those of the Caspian Sea, the 

 coasts of Africa, and the south of Europe. It extends north- 

 ward as far as Holland, where it is not uncommon ; and has 

 several times been obtained in England, where, however, it 



