ARDEA 565 



twigs, grass, wool, hair, etc. The eggs are laid early in March, 

 are pale blue with a few small white chalky marks here and 

 there, and measure about 2 '50 by T68. 



789. PURPLE HERON. 

 ARDEA PURPUREA. 



Ardeapurpurea, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 236 (1766) ; Naum. ix. p. 63, Taf. 

 221; Hewitson, ii. p. 271,. pi. Ixxiv. fig. 2; Gould, B. of E. iv. 

 pi. 274 ; id. B. of Gt. Brit. iv. pi. 21 ; Dresser, vi. p. 217, pi. 396 ; 

 (Sharpe), Cat. B. Br. Mus. xxvi. p. 60 ; Saunders, p. 369 ; Lilford, 

 vii. p. 13, pi. 5. 



Hdronpourprd, French ; Gar$a, Portug. ; Garza moruna, Span. ; 

 Airone rosso, Ital. ; Purpur-Reiker, German ; Eoode-Reiger, 

 Dutch ; Purpurhejre, Dan. and Norw. ; Purpwrkager t Swed. ; 

 Tschepura, Russ. ; Kermesiwach, Tartar : Siad el mraj, Moor. 



<J ad. (Spain). Differs from A. cinerea in having the crown black, the 

 neck rusty reddish instead of ashy grey, the elongated scapular plumes 

 intermixed with rusty red ; quills and tail deep ashy plumbeous ; elongated 

 plumes on the lower neck striped with black ; breast rich maroon red 

 marked with black in the middle ; flanks ashy grey ; under tail-coverts 

 black and white ; soft parts as in A. cinerea. The female is duller and 

 smaller. In winter the long plumes are absent. The young bird lacks the 

 long plumes, has the crown rusty reddish, the upper parts greyish brown 

 with broad yellowish rusty margins, and the under parts dull ochreous 

 white, the Hanks brownish ashy. 



Hob. Europe, rarer in the north ; of occasional occurrence in 

 Southern Scandinavia and Great Britain ; Madeira, the Canaries, 

 and Cape de Verde Islands ; Africa and Madagascar ; Asia east 

 to the Persian Gulf, being replaced further east by A. manil- 

 lensis, Meyen, a closely allied form differing in lacking the black 

 streaks on the fore-neck. 



In habits it resembles the Bittern more than A. cinerea, in 

 not frequenting open waters, but skulking among the dense 

 aquatic herbage. It feeds chiefly on fish, but also on frogs, 

 mice, and aquatic insects. Its call is not so loud or harsh as 

 that of A. cinerea. Like that species it nests in societies, not 

 on trees, but its nest, which is a mere platform of dry rushes or 

 sticks, is placed among the aquatic herbage or on a bush. 

 Its eggs, 3 or 4 in number, are deposited in April or early in 

 May, and resemble those of A. cinerea but are smaller, measuring 

 about 2-18 by 1'61. 



P P 2 



