538 ARDEIDJ3. 



Nostrils lateral, basal, pierced longitudinally in the groove, and half 

 closed by a membrane. Legs long, slender, naked above the tarsal joint. 

 Toes three in front, the two outer united by a membrane ; one toe behind, 

 directed inwards : claws long, compressed, sharp, the middle claw denti- 

 culated on the inside. Wings df moderate size ; the first quill-feather a 

 little shorter than the second or third, which are the longest in the wing. 



THE COMMON HERON is one of the most numerous, as 

 well as the best known, of the group of truly wading birds 

 now under consideration ; and formerly, in the palmy days 

 of falconry, the places where they bred were almost held 

 sacred ; the bird was considered royal game, and penal 

 statutes were enacted for its preservation. Now, however, 

 the Heron is disregarded, and left to depend on its own 

 sagacity for its safety. During winter the Heron is watch- 

 ful, shy, and solitary, seldom more than one being seen at 

 the same time or place ; but early in spring, numbers are 

 seen together, resorting to a favourite wood, which they 

 have probably occupied during their breeding season for 

 years in succession. At this time of the year they resem- 

 ble the Rooks in many of their habits, building like those 

 well-known birds on high trees, generally upon large oaks 

 or tall firs, and in such numbers do they associate, that 

 Pennant mentions having himself counted more than eighty 

 nests upon one oak at Cressy Hall, near Spalding, in Lin- 

 colnshire, an estate then belonging to the Heron family, 

 one of the most ancient in this country. Sometimes Herons 

 build on precipitous rocks near the coast, as at South Stack 

 Lighthouse, near Holyhead, mentioned by Mr. Eyton, and 

 at the Great Orme's Head; they are said also to build 

 occasionally on the ground, among reeds and rushes. The 

 nest is of large size, having much the appearance of that 

 of the Rook, but rather broader ; it is formed of sticks, 

 and lined with wool. The female lays four or five eggs, 

 of a uniform sea-green colour, two inches three lines in 

 length, by one inch nine lines in breadth, and incubation lasts 



