342 GRALL^. ARDEAD^. 



grew in the stream. As it walked hither and thither, 

 the beautiful chestnut neck was alternately thrown 

 forward and bridled up, with a pretty affectation, 

 and the short tail was depressed and agitated with 

 a rapid perpendicular vibration. I would have ob- 

 served it longer, but a rude group of negroes pass- 

 ing, it flew away over the adjacent logwood bushes. 



The flight of all the Herons is flagging and 

 laborious : I have been amused to see a Humming- 

 bird chasing a Heron; the minuteness and arrowy 

 swiftness of the one contrasting strangely with the 

 expanse of w'mg and unwieldy motion of the other. 

 The little aggressor appears to restrain his powers 

 in order to annoy his adversary, dodging around 

 him and pecking at him like one of the small fri- 

 gates of Drake or Frobisher peppering one of the 

 unwieldy galleons of the ill-fated Armada. Now 

 and then, however, I have noticed this and other 

 species of Heron intermit this laborious motion, 

 and sail swiftly and gracefully on balanced wings, 

 particularly when inclining their flight towards 

 the earth. 



When wounded, so as to be unable to fly, the 

 Green Bittern seeks to escape by running, which 

 it does swiftly, the neck projected horizontally, 

 uttering a low cluck at intervals. Its ordinary 

 call, often uttered from the morasses and man- 

 grove swamps, is a loud scream, harsh and gut- 

 tural. 



In each specimen that I dissected, the stomach was 

 enormous, occupying the whole length and breadth 

 of the body ; it usually is found distended with the 



