ARDEA. 



chief food is supposed to be worms, and 

 such other things as the heron tribe usual- 

 ly feed on; also vegetables of ull kinds. It 

 often sleeps on one leg, runs very fast, 

 and is said not only to fly well, but to 

 sustain it for a long time together. The 

 flesh of this bird is said to be very tough. 

 Ardea virgo, or the Numidian crane. 

 Size of the crane ; length three feet three 

 inches : the bill straight, two inches and a 

 half long, greenish at the base, then yel- 

 lowish, with the tip red ; irides crimson. 

 The crown of the head is ash-colour ; the 

 rest of the head, the upper part of the 

 neck behind, and all the under parts to 

 the breast black ; on the last, the feathers 

 are long and hang downwards ; the back, 

 rump, and tail, and all the under part 

 from the breast, are of a bluish ash-colour; 

 behind each eye springs a tuft of long 

 white feathers, which decline downwards, 

 and hang in an elegant manner ; the quills 

 and tail are black at the ends ; the legs 

 are black. This species is found in many 



Earts of Africa and Asia. In the first, it has 

 een met with on the coast of Guinea ; 

 but is most plentiful about Bildulgerid, 

 (the ancient Numidia,) and Tripoli ; from 

 thence along the coasts of the Mediter- 

 ranean Sea, and pretty common in Egypt. 

 They are also at Aleppo, and in the 

 southern plain about the black and Cas- 

 pian Seas; and are seen frequently be- 

 yond Lake Baikal, about the rivers Se- 

 lenga and Argun, but never venture to 

 the northward. In all places they prefer 

 marshes and the neighbourhood of rivers, 

 as their food is fish, like most of the heron 

 genus. It is frequently kept in menage- 

 ries, being endowed with great gentle- 

 ness of manners, added to its being an 

 elegant bird. At various times it puts 

 itself into strange and uncouth attitudes, 

 and especially those which imitate danc- 

 ing : and Keysler mentions one in the 

 Great Duke's Gallery at Florence, which 

 had been taught to dance to a certain 

 tune when played or sung to it. The 

 name this bird is known by in the east 

 is Kurki, or Querky. See Plate II. Aves, 

 fig. 7. 



Ardea grus. This is a large bird, not 

 unfrequently weighing ten pounds, and 

 measures more than five feet in length. 

 This species seems far spread, being met 

 with in great flocks throughout northern 

 Europe and Asia, in Sweden, Russia 

 throughout, and Siberia as far as the river 

 Anadyr, migrating even to the Arctic Cir- 

 cle. In Kamtschatka only seen on the 

 southern promontory ; are migratory, re- 

 turning northward to breed in the spring, 

 and generally choosing the same places 

 which had been occupied by them the 



season before. In the winter they inhabit 

 the warmer regions, such as Egypt, Alep- 

 po, India, Sec they are also met with at 

 the Cape of Good Hope, changing place 

 with the season. In their migrations fre- 

 quently fly so high as not to be visible, 

 their passage only being known by the 

 noise they make, being louder than that 

 of any other bird. In France they are 

 seen in spring and autumn ; but for the 

 most part are mere passengers We are 

 told that they frequented the marshes of 

 Lincolnshire" and Cambridgeshire, in vast 

 flocks, formerly ; but the case is altered, 

 as of late none have been met with, ex- 

 cept, a few years since, a single bird shot 

 near Cambridge. We are told that they 

 make their nests in marshes, and lay two 

 bluish eggs. The young birds are thought 

 very good food. They feed on reptiles of 

 all kinds, and, in turn, on green corn ; of 

 which last they are said to make so great 

 havoc, as to ruin the farmers wherever 

 the flocks of these depredators alight. 



Ardea ciconia, or white stork, is the 

 size of a turkey, inhabits in turns the 

 various parts of the old continent, avoid- 

 ing alike the extremes of heat and cold, 

 being never met with between the tro- 

 pics, nor scarcely ever seen more north 

 than Sweden, or in Russia beyond 50. 

 It never frequents Siberia, though it is 

 sometimes found in Bucharia, where it 

 makes its nest, tending towards the south 

 in autumn, to winter in Egypt. It is rare- 

 ly met with in England, though well 

 known in France and Holland. They 

 every where build on the tops of houses, 

 and the good natured inhabitants provide 

 boxes for them to make their nests in ; 

 they not only do this, but are particularly 

 careful that the birds suffer no injury, re- 

 senting it as done to themselves. 'At Bag- 

 dad they are to be seen on every house, 

 wall, and tree, quite tame. At Persepolis 

 the remains of the pillars serve them to 

 build on, every pillar having a nest. They 

 are thought to have two broods in a year, 

 the first towards the north, the latter in 

 warmer places ; and are seen in vast 

 flocks during their migrations. The fe- 

 male makes a large nest, and lays from 

 two to four eggs. The young are hatch- 

 ed in a month ; the male and female watch 

 them by turns till they can provide for 

 themselves. The stork sleeps on one leg, 

 and snaps with its bill in a singular man- 

 ner. Its food consists in snakes and other 

 reptiles ; hence the veneration of all per- 

 sons for this bird, which frees them from 

 such pests. 



Ardea stellaris, or bittern. This is an 

 elegant species, and is somewhat less than 

 the heron ; length two feet six inches ; 



