THE HERONS. 65 



THE HERONS, STORKS, AND IBISES. 

 ORDER ARDEIFORMES. 



These birds are very closely allied, as any naturalist must 

 admit. They are all wading birds, and were classed of old 

 in the Order Grallatores. In all of them the palate is desmog- 

 nathous, or " bridged," and there are no basipterygoid processes. 

 The nestlings are downy, and the young are fed in the nest by 

 thj parents for some time after they are hatched. 



Four families are represented, the Herons (Ardeidce\ the 

 Shoe-bills (Balcenicipitida} of the Upper Nile, the Hammer- 

 heads (Scopida) of Africa generally, and the Storks (Ciconiida\ 

 The Ibises, which have a schizorhinal nostril, will be treated 

 of farther on. 



THE HERONS. SUB-ORDER ARDEI. 



In these the hind-toe is on the same plane as the other toes, 

 and is not elevated above their level, as in the Storks. 



THE TRUE HERONS. FAMILY ARDEID^E. 



The Herons constitute one of the most natural families of 

 birds, and the various genera are well marked. The True 

 Herons have a long thin bill with a distinct ridge, but no hook 

 at the end. The outer toe has a distinct web near the base, 

 but this web is scarcely perceptible at the base of the inner 

 toe. On the breast are some curious downy patches, called 

 " powder-downs," and the middle claw is combed, or " pecti- 

 nated," like the claw of the Barn-Owl (Vol. ii. p. 106) or of the 

 Night-Jar. 



The curiously-shaped bills of the Shoe-bill (Balaniceps) and 

 the Hammer-head (Scopus) distinguish these from other families 

 of Herons, in addition to other remarkable characters. The 

 Shoe-bills have powder-down patches, the Hammer-heads none, 



ii F 



