16 BITTERN HERON. Class II. 



TION. 



Descrip- some of the literati of Arks, in which neigh- 

 bourhood Pliny says the bird m as found .* 



In size the bittern is inferior to the heron; 

 the bill is weaker, and only four inches long; 

 the upper mandible a little arched ; the edges 

 of the lower jagged ; the rictus or gape is so 

 wide, that the eyes seem placed in the bill; 

 the irides are, next the pupil yellow, above the 

 yellow they incline to hazel; the ears are large 

 and open. The crown of the head is black; the 

 feathers on the hind part form a sort of short 

 pendent crest ; at each corner of the mouth is a 

 black spot ; the plumage of this bird is of a very 

 pale dull yellow, spotted, barred, or striped 

 with black ; the bastard wing, the greater co- 

 verts of the wings, and the quil feathers are of 

 a bright fen'uginous color, regularly marked 

 with black bars ; the lower belly is of a whitish 

 yellow ; the tail is veiy short, and consists of 

 only ten feathers. The feathers on the breast 

 are very long, and hang loose ; the legs are of 

 a pale green. All the claws are long and slen- 

 der; the inner side of the middle claw finely 

 seiTated to hold its prey the better; its hind 

 claw is remarkably long, and being a supposed 

 preservative for the teeth, is sometimes set in 

 silver, and used as a tooth-pick. 



-'- * P/ire. Lib. X. c. 42. 



