570 



ARDEID.E. 



noticed by Aldrovandus, this peculiarity was not found, 

 and I have been told of another instance in which this 

 structure was wanting, though the bird was examined by 

 those who had found this anatomical peculiarity in every 

 example of the species they had previously examined. I 

 am therefore induced to suppose, that as this formation of 

 the vocal organs is known to exist in old females as well 

 as in old males, that, like the occipital crest, neither sex 

 obtain it till they have acquired a certain degree of ma- 

 turity. 



The representation below is one third less than the na- 

 tural size. 



