THE AFRICAN HERON. 



Ardea purpurea. Linn. 



This species of Heron is rather smaller than the last, 

 but bears a general resemblance to it in form and 

 marking. In the present the back of the head is of a 

 bright black ; the crest, two of the feathers of which 

 are remarkably long, has a slight gloss of green on a 

 black ground ; a black band extends on either side 

 from the base of the bill to the back of the head ; the 

 upper half of the back of the neck, and the whole of its 

 sides are of a rusty red, marked with three black 

 stripes, the one passing from the back of the head 

 along the middle line, and the two others from the 

 angle of the bill downwards on either side. On the 

 back and tail the prevailing colour is deep ashy gray 

 with somewhat of an olive tinge ; the wing-coverts are 

 occasionally tinged with red ; the long narrow feathers 

 of the shoulders and sides of the back are reddish- 



