372 GREAT WHITE HERON. 



been observed, but some of them were probably Spoonbills ; while 

 several records are unworthy of serious consideration. 



The Great White Heron occasionally visits the south of Sweden, 

 and the north-east of Prussia, but is of very rare occurrence in 

 Poland ; although near Glogau, in Silesia, a pair was found breeding 

 by A. von Homeyer in 1863. Over a great part of the area drained 

 by the Danube and its tributaries it was formerly plentiful in 

 summer, but owing to persecution for the sake of its plumes, its 

 numbers have been much reduced of late years ; in the Black Sea 

 district, however, and the south of Russia, it is still common. 

 Throughout the basin of the Mediterranean and in the marshy 

 parts of Italy it is not infrequent, especially in winter ; it visits the 

 south (and exceptionally the north) of France, and the east of 

 Spain ; and sometimes wanders to the Azores. It inhabits the 

 warmer portions of Asia as far as Burma, but in the Indian region 

 a smaller species, A. intermedia, predominates. In North Africa it 

 occurs principally in winter, and has been found, like the Purple 

 Heron, on the high table-lands of Abyssinia ; while it has been 

 obtained as far south as the Orange Free State. Its representative 

 from Japan to Australia and New Zealand has the bill yellow through- 

 out the year ; whereas our bird has the bill black in summer, and 

 yellow at other times. In America a closely-allied species, A. egretta, 

 has the bill yellow and the tarsi and tibiae black at all seasons. 



The nest found by Homeyer was slightly built and placed in an 

 old fir-tree, and three recently hatched birds were found in it on 

 June 28th. In Northern India and Burma the nests are built from 

 June to August in half-submerged groves, but in the Carnatic and 

 Ceylon, this and all Herons breed from December to February 

 (Blanford). The 3-4 eggs are pale greenish-blue : measurements 

 2 "5 by I '5 in. The food consists of small fish, reptiles, molluscs 

 and aquatic insects. 



The adult has the whole plumage white ; the feathers at the 

 bottom and sides of the neck in front fairly developed ; dorsal train 

 very long and filamentous in spring, but absent in autumn ; bill 

 black during the breeding-season, but afterwards yellow ; lores and 

 orbits pale green ; irides yellow ; tarsi and toes blackish ; the tibiae 

 being paler. Length of the European bird to end of tail about 

 35 in. (bill 6 in.) ; wing 17 in. The males are the larger, and have 

 the plumes more developed. In the young bird the bill is yellowish, 

 the legs are paler, and the elongated feathers are not acquired until 

 the second spring. 



