IV 



ARDEIDAE 8/ 



below, though occasionally feathered, as in Ardetta and Zebrilus ; 

 the metatarsus being remarkably long, except in such forms as 

 Nycticorax, Botaurus, and Ardetta. The latter member is covered 

 anteriorly with transverse or hexagonal scales, which become 

 smaller or reticulated behind, and show a decided tendency to 

 fusion in many cases. The toes are long, with a distinct web 

 between the middle and outer ; the claws are generally short and 

 curved, though elongated, slender, and nearly straight in Botaurus 

 and Ardetta ; that of the middle digit being toothed on the inner- 

 side, save in Balaeniceps. The wing is somewhat rounded, yet long, 

 and has eleven primaries reduced to ten in Scopus and from 

 eleven to eighteen secondaries ; the fairly even tail is short or 

 moderate, with from ten to twelve broad stiffish feathers, except 

 in Botaurus and Ardetta, where the ten rectrices are soft and 

 abbreviated. The tongue is usually long and pointed, but in Can- 

 croma, Balaeniceps, and Scopus it is very short ; the lores and orbits 

 are naked, save in Scopus, as is the malar region in Tigrornis and 

 Tigrisoma, while the last at times has the throat bare, or merely 

 feathered centrally. The nostrils are impervious only in Cancroma 

 and Balaeniceps. The nestlings are uniformly covered with sparse 

 hair-like down. The state of the chick is unrecorded in Balaeniceps 

 and Scopus. The furcula is generally V-shaped, the syrinx is 

 tracheo-bronchial, and an aftershaft is present, the latter and the 

 syringeal muscles being much reduced in Balaeniceps. Crests 

 and decorative plumes are common, as will be seen below. 



Of especial importance are the large, thick, "powder-down 

 patches," or greasy yellow spaces covered with tufts of grey or black 

 filaments, disintegrating into bluish or whitish powder. Balae- 

 niceps has a big pair on the lower back, Botaurus and Ardetta an 

 additional couple on the breast, and the remainder of the Ardeidae 

 two more on the abdomen, except Cancroma which possesses still 

 another pair on the upper back. In Scopus they are absent. The 

 use is uncertain, and the occurrence quite irregular. 



Fam. VI. Ardeidae. There are few persons in Britain who are 

 not to some extent acquainted with the habits of the Common Heron 

 or Hern, for it may be seen on the coast as well as on inland waters, 

 and now breeds in more localities than formerly, though in smaller 

 numbers ; while of the remainder of the Family the Bitterns alone 

 differ conspicuously in their mode of life. Herons are shy, 

 solitary birds, frequenting lakes, fens, and rivers, where they 



