THE NIGHT-HERON. 8 1 



Adult Male. Black, glossed with dark green, with a slight 

 shade of grey on the mantle ; upper scapulars like the back, 

 the lower ones light ashy-grey ; wings entirely light ashy-grey 

 or dove-colour, with a slight shade of oily-green on the second- 

 aries ; lower hack, rump, upper tail-coverts, and tail clear grey 

 or dove-colour ; head crested, black, with a dark green gloss, 

 and having two long white nuchal plumes ; base of forehead 

 white, extending above the eye to behind the latter ; feathers 

 below the eye, cheeks, throat, and under-parts pure white ; 

 ear-coverts and sides of neck delicate isabelline-grey, extend- 

 ing in a collar round the hind-neck, and also to the sides 

 of the body ; thighs and under tail-coverts white ; under wing- 

 coverts and axillaries very pale ashy ; bill slaty-black, with a 

 whitish streak near the edges, the central portion of the lower 

 mandible flesh-colour, greenish towards the base; skin round the 

 eye pale green ; tarsi and feet pale yellow ; iris, crimson. Total 

 length, 18 inches; culmen, 3^0; wing, 13*5; tail, 4*0; tarsus,2'8. 



Adult Female. Similar to the male in colour, and having also 

 ornamental plumes on the nape. Total length, 18 inches; 

 wing, 14-0. 



Winter Plumage. Much greener than in the breeding-season, 

 and having no white nape-plumes. 



Young Birds. Much browner than the adults, with longitu- 

 dinal triangular centres of rufous or buff on the feathers on the 

 back and wing-coverts ; the quills and tail-feathers tipped with 

 white ; the head blackish, with the crest-feathers centred with 

 rufous ; sides of face and under surface of body fulvescent, 

 streaked with dusky-black, with which the feathers are mar- 

 gined ; thighs streaked like the sides of the body, as also the 

 under wing-coverts and axillaries ; throat whitish. 



Range in Great Britain. The Night-Heron has occurred in all 

 three kingdoms, and specimens are shot nearly every spring 

 and autumn, the records being chiefly from the southern 

 counties of England. As Mr. Howard Saunders remarks, 

 this interesting bird might even have bred in England, for a 

 Mr. C. J. Bulteel records the destruction of eight birds in 

 Devonshire four males and four females between the 23rd 

 of May and the 22nd of June, 1849. This gentleman was, I 

 believe, a " Reverend " one, and he will doubtless remain 



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