298 'GREAT HERON. 



tioned ; on the contrary, the young or yearling bird has been universally 

 described as the female. 



On the eighteenth of May I examined, both externally and by dissec- 

 tion, five specimens of the Great Heron, all in complete plumage, killed 

 in a cedar swamp near the head of Tuckahoe river, in Cape May county, 

 New Jersey. In this case the females could not be mistaken, as some 

 of the eggs were nearly ready for exclusion. 



Length of the Great Heron four feet four inches from the point of 

 the bill to the end of the tail, and to the bottom of the feet five feet 

 four inches ; extent six feet ; bill eight inches long, and one inch and a 

 quarter in width, of a yellow color, in some blackish on the ridge, ex- 

 tremely sharp at the point, the edges also sharp, and slightly serrated 

 near the extremity ; space round the eye from the nostril, a light pur- 

 plish blue ; irides orange, brightening into yellow where they join the 

 pupil ; forehead and middle of the crown white, passing over the eye ; 

 sides of the crown and hind head deep slate or bluish black, and ele- 

 gantly crested, the two long tapering black feathers being full eight 

 inches in length ; chin, cheeks, and sides of the head white for several 

 inches ; throat white, thickly streaked with double rows of black ; rest 

 of the neck brownish ash, from the lower part of which shoot a great 

 number of long narrow pointed white feathers that spread over the 

 breast and reach nearly to the thighs ; under these long plumes the 

 breast itself, and middle of the belly is of a deep blackish slate, the lat- 

 ter streaked with white ; sides blue ash ; vent white ; thighs and ridges 

 of the wings a dark purplish rust color ; whole upper parts of the wings, 

 tail, and body a fine light ash, the latter ornamented with a profusion 

 of long narrow white tapering feathers, originating on the shoulders or 

 upper part of the back, and falling gracefully over the wings ; prima- 

 ries very dark slate, nearly black ; naked thighs brownish yellow ; legs 

 brownish black, tinctured with yellow, and netted with seams of whitish ; 

 in some the legs are nearly black. Little difference could be perceived 

 between the plumage of the males and females ; the latter were rather 

 less, and the long pointed plumes of the back were not quite so 

 abundant. 



The young birds of the first year have the whole upper part of the 

 head of a dark slate ; want the long plumes of the breast and back ; 

 and have the body, neck, and lesser coverts of the wings considerably 

 tinged with ferruginous. 



On dissection the gullet was found of great 'width, from the mouth to 

 the stomach, which has not the two strong muscular coats that form the 

 gizzard of some birds ; it was more loose, of considerable and uniform 

 thickness throughout, and capable of containing nearly a pint ; it was 

 entirely filled with fish, among which were some small eels, all placed 

 head downwards ; the intestines measured nine feet in length, were 



