NYCTICORAX. 495 



Genus NYCTICORAX. 



The Night-Herons were included by Linnaeus with the typical Herons 

 in his genus Ardea, but were separated by Stephens in 1819 (Shaw's Gen. 

 Zool. xi. pt. 2, p. 608), who established the genus Nyciicorax for their 

 reception. The European Night-Heron (the Ardea nycticorax of Linnaeus) 

 became of necessity the type. 



The Night- Herons may be distinguished from the Spoonbills and the 

 Ibises by their long straight bills, and from the Storks by having only 

 one of the intervals between the toes webbed. Like the typical Herons 

 they always have twelve tail-feathers, a character which distinguishes them 

 from the Bitterns. From the typical Herons they may be distinguished 

 by having the tarsus reticulated in front as well as at the back, the bill 

 scarcely longer than the head, and the occiput ornamented with long 

 cylindrical feathers. 



There are about ten species of Night-Herons, five of which belong to 

 the Neotropical Region, the remainder being distributed throughout the 

 rest of the world, with the exception of the Arctic Region. Only one 

 species is found on the continent of Europe, which occasionally strays as 

 far as the British Islands. 



The Night-Herons do not differ much in their habits from the other 

 Herons. They frequent extensive morasses and wooded swamps, and their 

 food consists chiefly of fish, small reptiles, and insects. They perch freely 

 on trees, walk about the ground slowly and sedately, and their flight is 

 powerful but not very quick. Their mode of nidification and the colour 

 of their eggs do not differ from those of the true Herons. 



