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and these live at a distance from water, frequenting open 

 plains, downs, and extensive commons. " They mostly con- 

 struct or choose their nests upon the ground ; and the young 

 are enabled to run about as soon as hatched, except in those 

 species which live in pairs " 

 . The Order includes the Herons, Snipes, Plovers, and Hails. 



AEDEIDJB. HERONS. 



This family contains some of the most graceful and beau- 

 tiful species of the Order ; not so much from the colours of 

 their plumage as from the elegant crests and prolonged fea- 

 thers which ornament them, especially during the breeding 

 season. The greater proportion of the birds comprised in 

 the family are of large size. They build in societies, usually 

 in trees, and in the neighbourhood of rivers; but, except 

 during the breeding season, live and feed solitarily. They 

 subsist chiefly on fish, for which they watch in suitable 

 situations, transfixing them, as they pass, with their long and 

 sharp bills. Not only the true Herons, but also the Egrets, 

 Night Herons, Bitterns, Storks, Boatbills, Spoonbills, Cranes, 

 and Ibises are included in the family, most of which are re- 

 presented in our British list. 



