346 AMERICAN GAME BIRD SHOOTING. 
Two species of crane are indigenous to the Continent, 
namely, the white or whooping crane, and the sand-hill 
crane. The plumage of the former is pure white, the 
bill dusky-greenish, the head carmine, and the legs black. 
The second, which is smaller than its congener, is 
plumbeous-gray in color. 
The herons bre quite numerous and move in immense 
sedges in some portions of the Southern and Pacific 
States. The best known is the great blue heron, which 
is about four feet in length when full grown. The adults 
of both sexes are grayish-blue above; the neck is pale 
purplish-brown, with a white throat-line; the head is 
black, and has a white frontal patch; the under parts are 
mainly black, streaked with white; the bill and eyes are 
yellow, and the legs greenish. The little blue heron is of 
a slaty-blue color, but inclined to be purplish on the 
head and neck; the bill is blue; the eyes are yellow, and 
the legs black. The young are white, but they can be 
easily distinguished from the young of the snowy heron 
by their bluish tracings and the color of the bill and feet. 
The great white heron is pure white; the bill, eyes, and 
legs are yellow, the latter being greenish in front. The 
great white egret, or white heron, has very long plumes 
of feathers, which droop over the tail, during the breed- 
ing season. The bill and eyes are yellow, and the legs 
black. The little white egret resembles the preceding. 
The bill and legs are mainly black, and the eyes and toes 
yellow. The Louisiana egret is slaty-blue on the back 
and wings, and chiefly white below; the bill is black and 
yellow, and the legs yellowish-green. The reddish egret 
and green heron may be recognized by their markings. 
The egrets are shot principally for their plumes, which 
command a good price in the markets of the civilized 
world. They do not come under the head of game 
birds, and are mentioned only to complete the list of 
the Ardeide. 
