COMMON HERON. 



171 



gated spots : and terminating in long white feathers covering 

 the chest ; under surface of the body greyish-white, streaked 

 with black; legs and toes greenish-yellow; claws brown. 

 Length, from the point of the beak to the end of the tail, 

 about three feet ; from the carpal joint to the end of the wing, 

 eighteen inches. In the females the colours are not quite so 

 bright, and the plumes are shorter than in the males. 



A young male bird is stated by Mr. Rocke (Zool. s.s. p. 81) 

 to have assumed the long pendulous crest-feathers at the 

 age of four months ; but, as a rule, these are shorter during 

 the first and second years, and there are no long feathers at 

 the bottom of the neck ; head and neck ash-colour, with dull 

 dusky-grey streaks in front ; the upper mandible of the 

 beak greenish-brown, the under mandible yellow ; the legs 

 darker in colour, almost brown, and the grey plumage on 

 the upper surface of the body and wings tinged with brown. 



When just hatched the nestling is helpless, and is covered 

 with a pale hair-like down. 



Varieties are sometimes obtained ; one in the Museum of 

 Science and Art at Dublin has the darker j^ortions of the 

 plumage indicated by a creamy-bufF with streaks of umber- 

 brown. 



The members of this family have the breast and lower 

 flanks furnished with well-developed powdery tufts of decom- 

 posed feathers, the use of which is not known. 



The vignette below represents the breastbone of the 

 Common Heron, about one-third less than the natural size. 



