COMMON HERON. 543 



most abundant in Holland. It is seen at Corfu, Sicily, 

 Malta, and Crete, on its passage between the two con- 

 tinents. It is found in North Africa, at Madeira, and is 

 said to visit the Cape. The Russian naturalists include it 

 among the birds observed at the foot of the Caucasus ; it 

 inhabits India, China, and Japan ; and Dr. Horsfield in- 

 cludes it in his Catalogue of the Birds of Java. 



In the adult bird the beak is yellow, darkest in colour 

 towards the point ; the lore yellowish green ; irides yellow ; 

 head and cheeks greyish white; the elongated occipital 

 feathers forming the plume dark slate blue, as many as 

 seven have been counted ; upper surface of the body and 

 wings delicate French grey ; the wing-primaries black ; 

 the tail-feathers slate grey ; the neck white, varied in front 

 throughout its length with dark bluish grey, forming elon- 

 gated spots ; the white feathers at the bottom of the neck, 

 before the chest, elongated : under surface of the body 

 greyish white, streaked with black ; legs and toes greenish 

 yellow ; claws brown. 



The whole length, from the point of the beak to the end 

 of the tail, is about three feet. From the carpal joint to 

 the end of the wing, seventeen inches : the first and the 

 fifth quill -feathers equal in length ; the second, third, and 

 fourth, also nearly equal in length, and the longest in the 

 wing. 



Adult females resemble the males in plumage, but the 

 colours are not quite so pure and bright. 



Young birds during their first and second year have no 

 elongated feathers at the back of the head, or at the bottom 

 of the neck in front ; head and neck ash colour, with dull 

 dusky grey streaks in front ; the upper mandible of the 

 beak greenish brown, the under mandible yellow ; the legs 

 darker in colour, almost brown, and the grey plumage on 



