Birds of Canada. 75 
ber. The general color of this bittern is a rich 
brownish-buff, covered with streaks and mottlings 
of black, brown, gray, and chestnut. Nests, on 
marshy ground ; eggs, four or five; pale brown. 
Its food consists of reptiles and insects. 
Butorides virescens —Yhe Green Heron. 
The Green Heron is eighteen inches long ; 
above, dark green; wings and tail, green; legs, 
yellow ; belly, ashy-brown; head, has a crest of 
glossy green feathers. This Heron is occasion- 
ally seen in Canada in the spring. Nests, in 
trees in swampy woods; eggs, four in number ; 
of a pale light blue color. Feeds upon crabs, 
frogs, and worms. 
Nyctiardea Gardeni—The Night Heron. 
The Night Heron arrives in the vicinity of 
Toronto about the fifteenth or twentieth of April. 
General color, above, steel-green; wings and 
tail, ashy-blue; under parts and sides, a lilac 
color. Length, twenty inches; the bill is 
slightly arched, strong, and black. During the 
day this bird is often seen perched upon the 
top of a tall tree in a swamp, but when night 
approaches it begins its flight in pursuit of food, 
which consists principally of insects, frogs, lizards, 
and fish. The nest of the Night Heron is built 
in a tree; eggs, four; of a greenish-yellow color. 
