NYCTICORAX. 495 
Genus NYCTICORAX. 
The Night-Herons were included by Linneus with the typical Herons 
in his genus Ardea, but were separated by Stephens in 1819 (Shaw’s Gen. 
Zool. xi. pt. 2, p. 608), who established the genus Nycticorax for their 
reception. The European Night-Heron (the Ardea nycticoraz of Linnzus) 
became of necessity the type. 
The Night-Herons may be distinguished from the Spoonbills a the 
Ibises by their long straight bills, and from the Storks by having only 
one of the intervals between the toes webbed. Like the typical Herons 
they always have twelve tail-feathers, a character which distinguishes them 
from the Bitterns. From the typical Herons they may be distinguished 
by having the tarsus reticulated in front as well as at the back, the bill 
scarcely longer than the head, and the occiput ornamented with long 
cylindrical feathers. 
There are about ten species of Night-Herons, five of which belong to 
the Neotropical Region, the remainder being distributed throughout the 
rest of the world, with the exception of the Arctic Region. Only one 
species is found on the continent of Hurope, which occasionally strays as 
far as the British Islands. 
The Night-Herons do not differ much in their habits from the other 
Herons. They frequent extensive morasses and wooded swamps, and their 
food consists chiefly of fish, small reptiles, and insects. They perch freely 
on trees, walk about the ground slowly and sedately, and their flight is 
powerful but not very quick. Their mode of nidification and the colour 
of their eggs do not differ from those of the true Herons. 
