GRALLATORIiE. 157 



Ardea, Cuv. 

 Or the Herons, the cleft of whose beak extends to beneath the eyes, a small 

 nasal fossa continuing on in a gi-oove close to its point. They are also dis- 

 tinguished by the internal edg-e of the nail of the middle toe, which is 

 trenchant and denticulated. Then- legs are scutellated; tlae thumb and toes 

 tolerabl}' long, the external web considerable, and the eyes placed in a naked 

 skin which extends to the beak. They are melancholy birds, which build 

 and perch on the banks of rivers, where theydesti-oy gi-eat numbers offish. 



The true Herons have a very slender neck, ornamented below with long 

 pendent feathers. 



The name of Crabeatehs {Crabicrs) has been appUed to the smalleslij 

 Herons, witli shorter feet. 



Tlie feathers on the neck of the Bitterns are loose and separated, which 

 increases its apparent size. They are usually spotted or striped. 



The adult Night-Heron, with the port of the Bitterns, and a beak pro- 

 portionally thicker, has a few slender feathers on the occiput. 



The third tribe, besides having a thicker and smoother beak than 

 is found in the second, has tolerably strong and almost equal mem- 

 branes between the base of the toes. 



CicoNiA, Cuv. 

 The Storks have a thick beak, moderately cleft; no fossae or grooves; the 

 nostrils pierced towards the back and near the base; an extremely short 

 tongue. Their legs ai'e reticulated, and the anterior toes strongly palma- 

 ted at base, particiUarly the external ones. The light and broad mandibles 

 of their beak, by striking against each other, produce a clash which is al- 

 most the only sound that proceeds from these bu-ds. 



To this genus belongs the celebrated White Stork, and the Black Stork. 



We next distinguish the Bare Necked Storks, and then the Pouched Storks 

 so called from an appendage under the tlu'oat resembling a sausage. There 

 are two species one from Senegal, the other from India, 



Myctekia, Lin. 

 The Jabirus, separated from Ardea by Linnoeus, are closely allied to the 

 Storks, and much more so than the latter are to the true Herons. Their 

 peculiar character consists in a beak slightly curved upwards near the ex- 

 tremity. * 



Scopus, Briss.(l) 

 The Umhres are only distinguished from the Storks by a compressed beak, 



(1) Scopus, from SKowsf, sentinel. 



