96 GREAT BLUE HERON. 



Head of moderate size, oblong, compressed. Neck very long and 

 slender. Body slender and compressed ; wings large. Feet very long ; 

 tibia elongated, its lower half bare, very slender, covered all round with 

 hexagonal scales; tarsus elongated, thicker than the lower part of the 

 tibia, compressed, covered anteriorly with large scutella, excepting at the 

 two extremities, where it is scaly, the sides and hind part with angular 

 scales. Toes of moderate length, rather slender, scutellate above, reti- 

 cularly granulate beneath, third toe much longer than second and fourth, 

 which are nearly equal, first shorter, but strong ; claws of moderate size, 

 strong, compressed, arched, rather acute, the thin inner edge of that of 

 the third toe finely serrated. 



Sj)ace between the bill and eye, and around the latter, bare, as is 

 the lower half of the tibia. Plumage soft, generally loose. Feathers of 

 the upper part of the head long, tapering, decurved, two of them ex- 

 tremely elongated ; of the back long and loose, of the rump soft and 

 downy ; scapulars with extremely long slender rather compact points. 

 Feathers of the fore neck much elongated and extremely slender, of the 

 sides of the breast anteriorly very large, curved and loose ; of the fore- 

 part of the breast narrower and elongated, as they are generally on the 

 rest of the lower surface ; on the tibia short. Wings, large, rounded ; 

 primaries curved, strong, broad, tapering towards the end, the outer cut 

 out on both margins, second and third longest ; secondaries very large, 

 broad and rounded, extending beyond the primaries when the wing is 

 closed. Tail of moderate length, rounded, of twelve rather broad, rounded 

 feathers. 



Bill yellow, dusky green above, loral and orbital spaces light green. 

 Iris bright yellow. Feet olivaceous, paler above the tibio-tarsal joints ; 

 claws black. Forehead pure white ; the rest of the elongated feathers 

 bluish- black ; throat white, neck pale purplish-brown, the elongated fea- 

 thers beneath greyish-white, part of their inner webs purplish-blue. Up- 

 per parts in general light greyish-blue, the elongated tips of the scapulars 

 greyish-white, the edge of the wing, some feathers at the base of the 

 fore neck, and the tibial feathers, brownish-orange. The two tufts of 

 large curved feathers on the fore part of the breast bluish-black, some of 

 them with a central stripe of white. Lower surface of the wings and the 

 sides light greyish-blue ; elongated feathers of the breast white, their in- 

 ner edge black, of the abdomen chiefly black ; lower tail-coverts white, 

 some of them with an oblique mark of black near the tip. 



