88 - BRITISH BIRDS 
with darker streaks. Sides of upper breast at base of neck 
black. Scapulars black margined white. Upper wing-coverts 
white margined black, making conspicuous white triangular 
patches. Wing-coverts and secondaries mostly white, making 
a broad white band on each side of the body when the 
wings are closed, cut transversely by two black bars, Under- 
breast and belly white tinted rosy. Flanks pencilled dark 
grey or whitish. Beak and legs red. In “eclipse” (from 
about July—October) the drake is not unlike the duck, but 
has the upper-parts darker and the wing-coverts white. 
The duck has the head, neck, and throat chestnut mixed brown. 
The throat distinguishes her from the duck goosander, which 
has it white. Upper-parts mostly dusky brown with paler 
margins. Wings barred white. Under-parts whitish streaked 
with brownish-grey on the breast. Crest shorter than drake’s. 
Legs and beak reddish. 
Nest. Usually near water, on islets in lakes, or lake shores. 
Built on the ground in heather or other rough herbage, 
under bushes or projecting rocks, in the hollow of a bank, 
wall, or cliff; also in rabbit-holes. Not in tree-hollows, so far 
as known. Material: dead bracken, grass, or other material, 
lined later with the duck’s down. 
iggs. Usually 7-12. Usually greyish-brown or olive-grey, 
occasionally light greyish-buff. Av. size, 2°52x1°78 in. Lay- 
ing begins in May-June. One brood. 
IX. ORDER: CICONIIFORMES. (1) SUBORDER 
ARDEZ: 
Family : Ardeide—Herons and Bitterns 
176. Common-heron ae cinerea (Linneeus)|. Resident 
and generally distributed. Somewhat local. 
Bird. Length 36 in. Recognised by its size, the long 
peat straight yellow beak, long legs, the 
general grey and white plumage. In 
flight the broad rounded slow flapping 
wings and the neck curved back, so 
that the head rests between the 
shoulders, aid recognition. The male 
has the upper-parts from the base of 
the neck to the tip of the tail lightish 
ay or French grey. The wing quills dark 
Fig. 103. slate-blue. 
The head and neck are white with 
bluish-black elongated plumes behind the eyes, forming a 
pendant crest, and bluish-black lines of spots down the front 
