BIRDS OF THE BRITISH ISLES. 285 



IRtgbt Deron. 



THE Night Heron {Nycticorax giiseus, Linnaeus) is a 

 rare spring and autumn migrant to the British Isles, and 

 inhabits the Southern Palearctic Region, as well as Africa. 

 The adult has the crown, nape, upper back, and scapulars 

 deep brown, with a metallic-green gloss ; wings and tail, 

 pale slate ; forehead, eye-stripe, occipital plumes, and 

 remainder of plumage, white; irides, deep red; bill, 

 blackish ; legs and feet, yellowish-brown. Length, from 

 twenty-two to twenty-three inches. The female has the 

 occipital plumes less developed, and the plumage is duller 

 in colouration than the male. The young bird has no 

 crest. 



