20 



ALTRICIAL aRALLATORES — HERODIONES. 



Ardea rhenana, Sander. Naturf. XIII. 1779, 195. 

 Ardea Johanna; Gmel. S. N. I. ii. 1788, 629. 

 Ardea cineracca, Bueum, Vog. Deutschl. 1831, 580. 

 Ardea vulgaris, Bechst. Oru. Tascli. 1803, 255. 

 Ardea bray, Geoff. Jacq. Voy. InJ. IV. 1844, 85. 

 Ardea kucopluca, GorLD, P. Z. S. 1848, 58. 



Ardea cinerca major, minm; media, ct bracliyrhynclui, Breh.m, Vcrz. Saraml. C. L. Brelim's, 1866, 

 12 (^Eeicheiiow.). 



Hah. Piilaearctic region, south to Australia ; accidental in Southern Greenland. 



Sp. Char. Adult : Forehead and centre of pileuni pure white ; sides of crown and occipital 

 plumes deep black ; rest of head wholly white. Neck light cinereous, with a very faint lavender 

 tinge, gradually iadini; into the white of the head ; the front part with a narrow longitudinal series 





of black dashes on a white ground. Upper parts bluish-gray, the penicillate plumes of the back 

 and scapulars much lighter or pale pearl-gray. Border of the wing yiure white ; anteaxillar tufts 

 deep blue-black. Sides and flanks uniform pale blue-gray. Medial lower parts white, heavily 

 striped laterally with blue-black. Tibia; and crissura pure white. Bill yellow, usually with the 

 culmen brownish terminally ; bare loral space green ; iris yellow ; feet dull green ; tibia; yellow. 

 (Macgillivray.) Jav. : Pileum deep ash-gray ; occipital plumes lilack. Neck ash-gray, the 

 front with a narrow longitudinal series of black and rufous dashes, mixed with white, the former 

 predominating. Upper parts uniform slate-gray, destitute of penicillate plumes. Malar region, 

 chin, and throat white. Anteaxillar tufts white, tipped with a rusty tinge. Edge of the whig and 

 entire lower parts wholly white, tinged with buft'. 



Wing, 18.50 ; tail, 8.00 ; culmen, 4.80 ; depth of bill through middle of nostril, 0.85 ; bare 

 tibia, 3.25 ; tarsu.s, 6.25 ; middle toe, 3.80. [No. 57006 ; Europe.] 



The Common or Gray Heron of Europe lias small claim to a place in the fauna of 

 North America. Two specimens are recorded as having been known iu Greenland, — 

 one, seen in August, 17C5, by the missionary Stacli ; the other, a young bird found 

 dead near i^enortalik in 1856. It is a familiar European species, as also one of the 

 most numerous of this peculiar and well-marked family. 



Formerh", before falconry had become one of the lost arts, it was the typical 

 Heron of olden times, and occupied an important place in the sporting world. The 



