COMMON HERON. 513 



tinents. It is found in North Africa, at Madeira, and is 

 said to visit the Cape. The Russian naturalists include it 

 among the hirds observed at the foot of the Caucasus , it 

 inhabits India, China, and Japan ; and Dr. Horsfield in- 

 cludes it in his Catalogue of the Birds of Java. 



In the adult bird the beak is yellow, darkest in colour 

 towards the point ; the lore yellowish green ; irides yellow ; 

 head and cheeks greyish white ; the elongated occipital fea- 

 thers forming the plume dark slate blue : upper surface of 

 the body and wings delicate French grey ; the wing- 

 primaries black ; the tail-feathers slate grey ; the neck 

 white, varied in front throughout its length with dark 

 bluish grey, forming elongated spots ; the white feathers at 

 the bottom of the neck, before the chest, elongated : under 

 surface of the body greyish white, streaked with black ; 

 legs and toes greenish yellow ; claws brown. 



The whole length, from the point of the beak to the end 

 of the tail, about three feet. From the carpal joint to the 

 end of the wing, seventeen inches : the first and the fifth 

 quill-feathers equal in length ; the second, third, and 

 fourth, also nearly equal in length, and the longest in the 

 wing. 



Adult females resemble the males in plumage, but the 

 colours are not quite so pure and bright. 



Young birds during their first and second year, have no 

 elongated feathers at the back of the head, or at the bottom 

 of the neck in front ; head and neck ash colour, with dull 

 dusky grey streaks in front ; the upper mandible of the 

 beak greenish brown, the under mandible yellow ; the legs 

 darker in colour, almost brown, and the grey plumage on 

 the upper surface of the body and wings tinged with brown. 



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