THE HERON. 43 



breadth, with wings extended, about five feet. The bill is 

 strong, straight, and pointed,, about six inches long ; the 

 upper mandible is of a yellowish horn colour, the under 

 one yellow ; irides yellow ; head and cheeks greyish-white ; 

 the elongated feathers forming the plume dark slate-blue ; 

 upper surface of the body and wings French grey ; wing- 

 primaries black, and tail slate-grey; the neck is white, 

 and varied with dark bluish-grey, forming long spots ; the 

 under part of the body is greyish- white, marked with 

 black; and the legs and toes are greenish-yellow; claws 

 brown. The females closely resemble the males in 

 plumage, but the plume is shorter, and the markings are 

 not so distinct or bright. The young birds have no plumal 

 feathers until their third year, and the plumage generally 

 is tinged with ash colour and brown. The eye of the 

 Heron is very bright, and has a bold, piercing expression . 



In the breeding season, which usually commences in 

 March, these birds congregate together in large numbers, 

 and, like rooks, build in colonies. The tops of tall trees, 

 such as the oak and fir, are most commonly selected; but 

 occasionally they make use of precipitous rocks near the 

 coast. The nest, which is of very large proportions, is 

 built of sticks, and lined with dried grass and wool. Four 

 or five eggs is the average number. They are of a sea- 

 green colour, and a little more than a couple of inches in 

 length. 



Both the parents are very attentive to the requirements 

 of their progeny. The latter make a peculiar noise, some- 

 thing between a croak and a hiss, when they are being fed, 

 and are very noisy and clamorous towards the approach of 

 evening. They quit their nests for an hour or two in the 

 daytime about the end of May or beginning of June, and 



