THE PURPLE HERON. 547 



Mr. Thompson has made known one instance of this bird 

 having been killed in Ireland. 



The Purple Heron may even be considered rather com- 

 mon in Holland, from whence adult birds and their eggs 

 are not unfrequently sent to the London market. 



The habits of the Purple Heron are more like those of 

 the Bittern than of the Heron last described, preferring 

 dense reed-beds, morasses, and marshy swamps, abounding 

 in luxuriant vegetation, under cover of which it conceals 

 itself, and among which it makes its nest on the ground, 

 laying three eggs of pale asparagus-green colour, two inches 

 four lines long, by one inch seven lines in breadth. The 

 food of this species consists of small mammalia, reptiles, 

 fishes, and aquatic insects. 



The Purple Heron is found occasionally in Germany, is 

 as before observed, rather common in Holland, and in the 

 low marshy districts of France. M. Necker says they are 

 most frequently seen in Switzerland at the end of April or 

 the beginning of May, and some few remain in that country 

 to breed ; it is found also in Provence and in Italy. It 

 visits Corfu, Sicily, Malta, and Crete, in spring and autumn. 

 It inhabits Nubia, and has been taken in other parts of 

 Africa as far south as the Cape of Good Hope. East- 

 ward of Europe, the Russian naturalists found it in the 

 countries near the Black and the Caspian Seas ; it inhabits 

 the marshes of the rivers and lakes of Tartary; Major 

 Franklin, B. Hodgson, Esq., and Mr. Blyth, have obtained 

 it in different parts of India. Mr. Selby says it is found in 

 the Philippine Isles ; and Dr. Horsfield includes it among 

 the birds of Java. 



The adult bird has the beak yellow, darkest in colour at 

 the base ; the lore and irides yellow ; the top of the head, 

 the occiput, and the elongated occipital plumes, black, 

 tinged with blue ; cheeks and sides of the neck fawn colour, 



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