100 NIGHT HEEOX. 



brown or black, according to the age of the bird; chin, throat, 

 and breast white, with a very faint tinge of cream-colour. 

 Back, on the upper part, black, with green reflections, on the 

 lower part fine grey. 



The wings expand to the width of three feet three inches 

 and a half, or a little over that measurement, the first quill 

 feather is of the same length as the fourth, the third a little 

 longer, the second the longest in the wing. Greater and 

 lesser wing coverts, grey; primaries, secondaries, and tertiaries, 

 grey; greater and lesser under wing coverts, pure white. 

 Tail and tail coverts, fine bluish grey. The legs are feathered 

 nearly to the knees; the bare part and the toes, pale yellowish 

 green. Claws, black, short, and hooked; that of the middle 

 toe pectinated on its inner side. 



The female is like the male. 



In the young the tip of the bill is blackish brown, the 

 remainder dark brown, the edges paler in colour; the base 

 and lower mandible, yellowish green or yellowish brown; iris, 

 brown, the eyelids pale greenish brown, head, crown, and 

 neck on the back, brown, with the centre of each feather 

 yellowish white; the neck in front has the feathers yellowish 

 white, deeply margined with brown and yellowish brown; the 

 nape wants the plume. Chin, throat, and breast, yellowish 

 white, the feathers deeply margined with yellowish or greyish 

 brown, forming elongated spots; back, deep brown, with 

 angular yellowish white streaks on the centre of the feathers. 

 Greater wing coverts, deep brown, with triangular-shaped spots 

 of whitish on their tips; lesser wing coverts, deep brown, 

 with angular whitish streaks on the centres of the feathers; 

 primaries, also deep brown, with triangular-shaped spots of 

 white on their tips; secondaries and tertiaries, deep brown, 

 tipped with pale brown. Tail, greyish brown; upper tail 

 coverts, a mixture of grey and two shades of brown; legs 

 and toes, yellowish green, or yellowish brown; claws, dark 

 brown. 



Selby observes, 'As the bird proceeds to maturity, it 

 acquires at each successive moulting a plumage approaching 

 nearer to that of the adult; and in these intermediate stages, 

 has been described as constituting different species, by various 

 writers.' 



John Gatcombe, Esq., of Wyndham Place, Plymouth, has 

 obliged me with a very beautiful drawing of this species, but 

 it did not arrive quite in time for the use of this work. 



