84 PURPLE HERON. 



differ considerably in size and shape, as well as in colour.' 

 They are generally dull green. Both parents carefully attend 

 to the young until they are able to fish for themselves. 



Male; weight, two pounds and three quarters, to nearly 

 three pounds; length, about three feet two inches; bill, fine 

 yellow, the ridge and tip shaded with brown; a narrow stripe 

 of black proceeds from the base of the bill backwards to the 

 nape; iris, pale yellow. Forehead and crown, black tinged with 

 blue, the feathers lengthening into a long narrow crest, the 

 filaments of a chesnut colour, while a line of the same colour 

 is carried down the back; on each side of the neck a narrow 

 stripe descends, mingling with the more irregularly dark edges 

 of the lengthened plume; the upper part of the neck in front 

 is white, shaded off into the brown of the sides where the 

 black stripes do not prevail; on the front of the neck each 

 feather is elongated into the attenuated form, the colours a 

 mixture of pale buff, chesnut, grey, black, white, and purple 

 red. Chin and throat, pale buff or white; breast on the upper 

 part, black, met on each side by deep purple chesnut, or 

 brownish red, the middle rich maroon shaded off below into 

 a mixture of that colour and dark slate grey. The plumes 

 of the back are narrowed and elongated, the narrow tips 

 being paler, and those at the sides the longest, and of a 

 pale reddish brown; the one side of each is yellowish white, 

 the other black, 'and thus irregular lines of these colours 

 are formed, until the long tips become entirely yellowish 

 white.' 



The wings have the first quill feather the shortest, the 

 second, third, fourth, and fifth equal in length, and the longest: 

 the edges of the wings are white. Greater and lesser wing 

 coverts, dark brownish grey with purple 'and green reflections; 

 primaries, dark brownish grey; greater and lesser under wing 

 coverts, chesnut, the colour extending over the point of the 

 shoulder. Tail, dark brownish or bluish grey, with purple and 

 greenish reflections, the two centre feathers dark slate grey; 

 upper tail coverts, brownish grey, also with greenish reflections. 

 Legs in front, both above and below the knee, dark reddish 

 brown, tinged with greenish yellow; behind yellow; toes, also 

 brown reddish brown tinged with greenish yellow; the middle 

 toe is very long; under parts of the toes yellowish. Claws 

 black, lengthened, slender, and not much bent. 



The female is like the male. 



The young, until three years old, have the upper bill 



