312 SPOLIA ZEYLANICA. 
Sub-order ARDE. 
Family ARDEID. 
The Herons, which are well represented in Ceylon, form 
the largest family of the order. The bill is straight, pointed, 
and usually slender; the nostrils are placed in a distinct 
groove, which runs nearly to the tip of the bill. The lores, 
or space in front of the eye,arenaked. The neck is long, with 
a bend in the vertebra, and is generally held in an S curve, 
whether the bird is flying or standing. This bend of the neck 
will almost always serve to distinguish a Heron, when on the 
wing, from a Stork. The wings are broad and rounded ; the 
tail short. The body is slender and small for the size of the 
bird. The legs are long, the toes long and slender; the hind 
toe is well-developed, and there is a slight web between the 
middle and outer toes. The nest is made of sticks or reeds ; 
the eggs in most cases are a pale shade of blue or green, but 
in some species are white or almost so. 
Herons live largely on fish, and while fishing stand motion- 
less, or stalk slowly in shallow water until a fish swims by, 
when it is secured by a quick dart of the head. They will also 
eat frogs, small crabs, and insects. 
Fifteen species, representing ten genera, are found in the 
Island ; from their size, colouration, and habits they may be 
divided into three main groups. 
Firstly, three typical Herons, large birds over 36 inches in 
length, all belonging to the genus Ardea. The upper plumage 
is gray, the head is crested, the scapulars and the feathers at 
the base of the neck are lengthened into ornamental plumes, 
but there is no dorsal train nor change of plumage during the 
breeding season. 
Next come the Egrets, which are in general more slenderly 
built and smaller, ranging from 18 inches to 3 feet in length. 
In the breeding season these all develop a more or less lengthy 
dorsal train (the egret or “osprey”? plumes of commerce), 
except one curious species, the Reef-Heron, which carries its 
dorsal train of elongated, but not ‘‘ decomposed ” feathers all 
the year round. The Reef-Heron is also peculiar, in that some 
