348 CLASS AVES. 



and wing-coverts, cream ; crown, primaries, tail, and 

 tuft, on each side of the breast, black. North and 

 South America. 



Spotted Heron. Ardea Pusilla, Vieill. ; and young, 

 Ardea Maculata, Lath, and Ardea Melanoptera, 

 Bechst. 



Like former, but smaller ; bill, pale ; side of neck, 

 outer wing-margin, sides of head, chest, and back, 

 chestnut-brown ; beneath, whitish, varied with red- 

 dish. New Holland. 



The third tribe, besides a grosser and smoother 

 bill, has palmations almost equal, and tolerably strong, 

 between the bases of the toes. 



The Storks. Ciconia. 



Have a gross bill, moderately cleft, without foss or 

 furrow, near the base of which are the nostrils, and 

 in the back part of the interior of this bill is a tongue 

 extremely short. Their legs are reticulated, and the 

 anterior toes pretty strongly palmated at their base, 

 especially the external ones. The slight and broad 

 mandibles of the bill, striking one against the other, 

 produce a clattering noise, which is almost the only 

 sound heard from these birds. Their gizzard is not 

 very muscular, and the coeca so small that they can 

 hardly be perceived; the lower larynx has no muscle 

 peculiar to itself; the bronchiai, are longer and com- 

 posed of more complete rings than usual in birds. 



