PEALE'S EGRET HERON. 387 



completely feathered, as in the Woodcock and the land birds : the mem- 

 brane that unites the toes is moreover simply rudimental. 



These birds, which are chiefly nocturnal, have much of the habits of 

 the Rails. Tlioy live and propagate in marshy grounds, hiding closely 

 amongst the reeds, and running far and very fast in them rather than 

 take wing. They feed on small fishes, reptiles, spawn, but more espe- 

 cially on water insects. 



Returning to our Egret, whose claims to be considered new have been 

 set forth in the first page of this article, we have to state that it is 

 dedicated to Mr. Titian Peale, by whom it was first shot for us in 

 Florida, as a just compliment to a naturalist to whom American Zoology 

 owes so much, and from whom so much may still be expected, retaining 

 as he does all that zeal for science for which his family has been long 

 conspicuous. 



We regret not being able to relate any peculiarity in the habits of this 

 bird, which besides Florida, inhabits other analogous climates of Ame- 

 rica. It is never seen in the Middle States, but appears not to be rare 

 in Florida, for since the individual first brought by Mr. Peale, we have 

 observed it in almost all the collections of birds sent from that country. 



Peale's Egret Heron is twenty-six inches long : the bill five inches, 

 flesh-color for nearly three inches from the base, then black to the 

 point ; the lora and naked parts of the face are of the same flesh-color, 

 but more delicate : the plumage is uniformly and without exception 

 snowy .white, as in all the Egrets: the head nearly from the origin of 

 tlic bill down to the neck, is thickly and densely set with a large crest, 

 formed of numerous, compact, subulate feathers, more than three 

 inches long ; a bunch of these feathers, precisely of the same texture, 

 and even longer, hangs down from the front part of the neck. The 

 structure of these feathers most resembles that of the corresponding 

 plumes of the A. Garzefta, and is totally diff"erent from those of the 

 candidissi'ma. The long flowing plumes of tlie back are filiform, or 

 criniform, rather than silky, being by no means delicate, and reach 

 much beyond the tail, with their rays quite straight and rather stiff", 

 and by no means curled, nodding, or divaricate, as in the candidissima. 

 The wings are thirteen inches long : the tail is four. The legs, includ- 

 ing the toes and nails, are all black, the toes yellow beneath : the 

 nakedness of the tibia extends more than three inches : the tarsus is 

 full six inches long, that is, twice as long as the middle toe and nail : the 

 hind toe without the nail measures more than an inch. 



The young is distinguished by smaller proportions, a circumstance 

 for whir^h this group is more than usually remarkable, and by the 

 absence if the ornamental feathers : we have, however, always observed, 

 even in very young specimens, the tendency of the head-feathers to be 

 long and pointed to a considerable extent, indicating the future crest. 



