No. 2] Yhe Birds of Old English Literature 27 



Cod. Dip. 3. 18. 16, 17 : andlang Osrices puUe Saet hit cj'mtS on ducan 

 seaSSe ; of ducan seaSe Saet hit cym3 on Rischale ; 3. 399. 18 : ondlang 

 Osrices pulle, and swa tSaet hit cymS on ducan seatSe ; of ducan seaSe Saet 

 hit cymS on Rischale. 



Ord. Ardeiformes. Herons, Storks and Ibises. 

 Sub. Ord. Ardes. Herons. 

 F. Arderida. True Herons. 



Gen. Ardea. Grey Herons. 



XLIV. hragra. Common heron {ardea cinerea) ; proba- 

 bly of imitative origin. MHG. reiger ; G. reiher ; Icel. 

 hegri. Bones of the common heron are frequently found 

 in East Anglian bogs. This bird is a favorite quarry of 

 the falcon, and when falconry was at its height, heronries 

 were protected by law in England and other European 

 countries. • 



WW. 131. 14, 287. 3, 351. 25, 356. 30 : ardea, hragra ; M. Gl. 307. 3 : ~ 

 hrahra ; ZdA. 240. 30 : ~ rahgre : Cp. A. 729 : ardia et die perdulum, hragra ; 

 Ep.-Er. 42. ardea et dieperdulum -^ ; Ld. 214: die perdulum ~ ; Shrn. 29. 18 : 

 larum ~. 



Gen. Nycticorax. Night-Herons. 



XLV. I. nihthraefn. Lit. 'night-raven'; the common 

 night-heron {nycticorax nycticorax). ME. nyghteraven ; 

 OHG. nahthraban ; G. nachtrabe ; Icel. ndtthrafn. 



This word has been variously interpreted as owl, 

 night-jar and night-heron, but the weight of evidence 

 seems to favor the last theory. Nihthrcefn is usually 

 glossed nicticorax, a. word which presents some difficulties. 

 In the 15th cent, glossaries it glosses nyghtcraw (night- 

 crow) which is identical with the night-raven, according 

 to the Cent. Diet. Glanvil in his De Propriet. Rerum p. 

 430, says : ' The nighte crowe hyghte Nicticorax and hath 

 that name for he louith the nyghte and fleeth and seeketh 

 hys meete by nyghte.' The Cent. Diet, identifies both the 

 night-raven and night-crow with the night-heron, and 

 adds: 'The common European bird to which the name 

 night-heron (and also night-raven) was originally applied 

 is ardea nycticorax of the older writers' [identical with 

 nycticorax nycticorax above]. 



