PURPLE HERON. 517 



tinged with blue ; cheeks and sides of the neck fawn colour, 

 with descending streaks of bluish black ; back and wing- 

 coverts dark slate grey ; the elongated filamentous feathers 

 chestnut ; tail-feathers bluish grey, the two central feathers 

 dark slate grey ; the chin pale buff ; the neck reddish buff, 

 the elongated feathers at the bottom of the neck in front a 

 mixture of pale buff, chestnut, grey, and black; under 

 wing-coverts chestnut, the colour appearing round outside 

 the point of the shoulder ; the breast rich maroon colour ; 

 the belly a mixture of maroon and dark slate grey ; the 

 flanks ash grey ; thighs reddish buff ; legs and toes dark 

 reddish brown ; the claws black. 



Whole length from the beak to the end of the tail 

 twenty-nine inches. From the carpal joint to the end of 

 the wing fourteen inches : the first quill-feather shorter 

 than either of the next four ; the second, third, fourth, and 

 fifth, equal in length, and the longest in the wing. 



The adult of both sexes are alike in plumage. 



The young birds, till their third year, are without the 

 occipital crest, as well as the elongated feathers at the base 

 of the neck, and on the scapulars. The chin is white ; the 

 forehead blackish grey ; the crown and occiput grey, tinged 

 with reddish brown. The neck is pale reddish brown, 

 without the black lists. The front of the neck is yellowish 

 white, with longitudinal black spots. The back, scapulars, 

 wings, and tail, deep grey; the feathers margined with 

 reddish brown. The belly and thighs are reddish white. 

 The upper mandible is blackish brown ; the under one, the 

 lores, and eyes, are pale yellow. 



