76 Allen's naturalist's library. 



Herons, and in Epirus and the Ionian Islands, where he has 

 procured the species, he found it much less wary than the 

 Common Heron, nor did it show the skulking habits of the 

 Purple Heron and some other members of the Family. As 

 usual with Herons, the present species lives chiefly on fish, 

 hut also devours water-insects and small mice and rats. Lord 

 Lilford says that dufing the heavy snowstorm of the i8th of 

 May, 1891, one of his birds was observed "to devour several of 

 the perishing Swallows and House-Martins, which incautiously 

 fluttered within reach, in their vain search for their usual 

 insect-food," 



Nest. — A somewhat large structure, made of sticks, the lining 

 consisting of smaller twigs. It is composed of dead rushes 

 when it is built in swamps, and becomes trampled quite flat by 

 the time the young have left the nest. This is repaired year 

 after year. 



Eggs. — These are four in number, of a greenish-blue colour, 

 and not to be told from those of the Common or Purple 

 Heron. Axis, 2*35-27 inches; diam., 17-175. 



THE LITTLE EGRETS. GENUS GARZETTA. 



Garzetta, Kaup, Natiirl. Syst. p. 76 (1829). 



Type, G, garzetta (L.). 



The Little Egrets, while possessing the snowy plumage of 

 the preceding genus, have a much longer and more slender 

 l)ill in proportion to their size, and the culmen exceeds the 

 length of the middle toe and claw. The tarsus is longer 

 than the bill, and the dorsal train is very dense, and the long 

 feathers are gracefully recurved. The head shows no absolute 

 crest, but on the nape are some drooping white feathers, and on 

 the chest there are also some lanceolate white plumes. Lord 

 Lilford remarks that the Little Egrets erect their dorsal train 

 when animated, which the species of Herodias never seem to 

 do. 



There are only two species of the genus Garzetta, the Little 

 Egret of Europe and Africa {G. garzetta), which also extends 



