28 DESCRIPTIONS OP OUR NATIVE BIRDS. 



WHITE-FRONTED HERON, or BLUE CRANE. 



(Ardea novae hollandiae)— rT0?/7(/'s Hand Bool. 



(Notophoyx novae hollandiae)--3/f///?p»,s' Hand Lid. 



Common Heron. 



Pacific Heron {Notophoi/x pacifica). 



) Blue Reef Heron \ 

 ^^ ^ ,„ -r, ,T ( (Demiegretta sacra). 



White Reef Heron I 



OTHER SPECIES 



IN 



SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 



Nankeen Crane or Night Heron {Nijcticorax calc- 

 donicus). 



Size. — When standing erect this bird measures about 2-tin. in height. It is about 

 tlie size of the bittern, but looks sleeker and more graceful. 



Bill. — Its bill is long and pointed. The skin about the eyes is slate or lead 

 colored. 



Plumage. — The general appearance is of a bluish slaty-grey color. The feathers 

 on the face and throat are white. The back and wings are bluish 

 slaty grey. The breast is grey, tinged with rusty brown. The feathers 

 on the back and chest are long and pointed, somewhat after the 

 manner of the hackle of a rooster. 



Food. — The heron feeds almost exclusively upon fish, crayfish, frogs, and other 

 small water animals. 



Habitat. — Lagoons, lakes, marshes, rivers, and river estuaries. 



Nest. — The heron nests during the months of October, November,and December. 

 It builds a nest of sticks lined with leaves in the fork of a tree that grows 

 near the swamp. 



Eggs. — The eggs, which usually number four, are of a pale bluish-green color, 

 about Ifin. x \\\n. 



