186 AVES GRALLATORES. [ARDEA. 



GEN. 69. ARDEA, Linn. 



(1. ARDEA, Steph.) 

 * A large portion of the tibia naked ; tarsi long. 



172. A. cinerea. Lath. (Common Heron.) General 

 plumage bluish ash : middle toe, claw included, much 

 shorter than the tarsus. 



A. cinerea, Temm. Man. d'Orn. torn. n. p. 567. Common Heron, 

 Mont. Orn. Diet, and Supp. Selb. Illust. vol. H. p. 11. pi. 2. 

 Heron, Bew. Brit. Birds, vol. n. p. 9. 



DIMENS. Entire length three feet two inches nine lines ; length of 

 the bill (from the forehead) four inches seven lines, (from the gape) five 

 inches eleven lines ; of the tarsus five inches eight lines ; of the naked 

 part of the tibia two inches eight lines ; of the middle toe three inches 

 ten lines ; of the tail eight inches ; from the carpus to the end of the 

 wing one foot five inches seven lines : breadth, wings extended, five feet 

 six inches. 



DE SCRIPT. (Adult, after the age of three years.) A pendent crest 

 of narrow, elongated, black feathers at the back of the head : forehead, 

 crown, neck, middle of the breast, belly, edge of the wing, thighs, and 

 under tail-coverts, pure white; fore part of the neck with large longi- 

 tudinal black spots ; the feathers towards the bottom loose and very 

 much elongated, falling over the breast in an elegant manner: occi- 

 put, sides of the breast, and flanks, deep black: back and wings of a 

 fine bluish gray: quills black: scapulars long and pointed, forming 

 graceful plumes of a silvery gray colour : tail bluish ash : bill deep 

 yellow: irides bright gamboge-yellow: lore, and naked skin round the 

 eyes, greenish: feet brown; the naked part of the tibia red. (Young, 

 and until the age of three years.) Occipital crest very short, almost 

 wanting: without the long plumes on the scapulars and lower part of 

 the neck : forehead and crown cinereous ; throat white ; neck pale ash- 

 colour, inclining to whitish underneath, with large longitudinal dusky 

 spots : rest of the upper parts bluish ash ; ridge of the wing spotted with 

 white and reddish brown ; quills of a deep bluish black : breast, belly, 

 and vent, white, spotted with black : upper mandible dusky brown, varie- 

 gated with yellowish spots; lower mandible wholly yellow: irides yellow: 

 lore and orbits greenish yellow : feet dark ash-colour ; the lower part of 

 the tibia yellowish. (Egg.) Of a uniform sea-green: long. diam. two 

 inches three lines; trans, diam. one inch nine lines. 



A common and generally distributed species. Congregates in large 

 societies during the breeding season, building on the loftiest trees. At 

 other times of the year, of rather solitary habits, residing principally in 

 marshy districts, or in the neighbourhood of streams and rivers. Feeds 

 principally on fish and small reptiles. Lays three or four eggs. 



173. A. purpurea, Linn. (Purple Heron.) General 

 plumage reddish ash, inclining to purple : middle toe, claw 

 included, as long as, or longer than the tarsus. 



A. purpurea, Temm. Man. d'Orn. torn. n. p. 570. Crested Purple 

 Heron, Lath. Syn. vol. in. p. 95. Shaw, Zool. vol. xi. p. 556. 

 Selb. Illust. vol. n. p. 15. pi. 3. 



