340 



or five inches lower in front ; from the eye over the 

 ear- coverts and downwards on the side of the neck 

 dull white ; general colour of the hack, wings, rump, 

 tail-feathers and all the under surface of the hody 

 ash-grey; wing primaries black ; tertials elongated, 

 the webs unconnected and reaching beyond the ends 

 of the primaries ; * the tail-feathers are varied and 

 tipped with bluish black ; the under surface of the 

 wings and the axillary plume light grey; legs and 

 toes bluish black; claws black." Yarrell says 

 nothing about the black lines on the shafts of the 

 feathers, which appear to me a peculiarity of the 

 bird. 



The eggs, according to Yarrell, are of a pale 

 greenish ground colour, blotched and spotted with 

 dark green and olive-brown. 



Family 



Of the Ardeidae, or Herons, there are fourteen 

 British species, but only seven of these, as far as I 

 have been able to ascertain, can be included in the 

 Somersetshire list. 



COMMON HERON, Ardea cinerea. The Common 

 Heron, which, by the bye, is here invariably called 



* This appears to be a mistake, as the feathers here 

 described are the greater co.verts of the tertials. See also 

 Dr. Sax by 's account. 



