368 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. 
much like that of the Curlew: “in the adult bird it 
is dark purple-brown ; the lore and the naked skin 
around the eyes olive-green, tinged with grey; the 
irides hazel; the head, neck all round, and the inter- 
scapulars deep reddish brown; wing-coverts and 
tertials dark maroon-brown, with brilliant green and 
purple reflections; wing-primaries dark brownish 
black, tinged with green; tail-feathers brownish 
black, tinged with purple; breast, sides and belly 
deep reddish brown, like the neck; the under sur- 
face of the wings, the flanks and under tail-coverts 
dark brown; legs and toes green; claws olive-brown. 
In the young birds the head, cheeks and upper part 
of the neck behind are dull clove-brown, intermixed 
with short hair-like streaks of greyish white; on the 
throat, in front, one and sometimes more patches of 
dull greyish white placed rather transversely; the 
whole of the body above and below, the wings and 
the tail dull uniform hair-brown, with very little of 
the glossy tints observable in older birds.” This 
description is taken from Yarrell. 
The eggs are said to be of a pale green.* 
This bird, the last of the British Ardeidse, makes 
a sort of link between that family and the large 
family of Scolopacide, the next in succession, and 
as far as the formation of the beak goes it cer- 
* Meyer's ‘ British Birds,’ vol. iv., p. 188. 
