62 (.HEAT HERON. 



Length of the Great Heron four feet four inches from the 

 point of the bill to the end of the tail, and to the bottom of the 

 feet five feet four inches; extent six feet; bill eight inches long, 

 and one inch and a quarter in width, of a yellow colour, in 

 some blackish on the ridge, extremely sharp at the point, the 

 edges also sharp, and slightly serrated near the extremity; space 

 round the eye from the nostril, a light purplish blue; irides 

 orange, brightening into yellow where they join the pupil; 

 forehead and middle of the crown white, passing over the eye; 

 sides of the crown and hind head deep slate or bluish black, 

 and elegantly crested, the two long tapering black feathers be- 

 ing full eight inches in length; chin, cheeks, and sides of the 

 head white for several inches; throat white, thickly streaked 

 with double rows of black; rest of the neck brownish ash, from 

 the lower part of which shoot a great number of long narrow 

 pointed white feathers that spread over the breast and reach 

 nearly to the thighs; under these long plumes the breast itself, 

 and middle of the belly is of a deep blackish slate, the latter 

 streaked with white; sides blue ash, vent white: thighs and ridges 

 of the wings a dark purplish rust colour; whole upper parts of 

 the wings, tail, and body a fine light ash, the latter ornamented 

 with a profusion of long narrow white tapering feathers, orgi- 

 nating on the shoulders or upper part of the back, and felling 

 gracefully over the wings; primaries very dark slate, nearly 

 black; naked thighs brownish yellow; legs brownish black, tinc- 

 tured with yellow, and netted with seams of whitish; in some 

 the legs are nearly black. Little difference could be perceived 

 between the plumage of the males and females; the latter were 

 rather less, and the long pointed plumes of the back were not 

 quite so abundant. 



The young birds of the first year have the whole upper part 

 of the head of a dark slate; want the long plumes of the breast 

 and back; and have the body, neck, and lesser coverts of the 

 wings considerably tinged with ferruginous. 



On dissection the gullet was found of great width, from the 

 mouth to the stomach, which has not the two strong muscuhn 



