A Colony of Herons 



smaller game, both inland and on the coast, 

 comes, I believe, from pure and unadulterated 

 depravity, the seeds of which the world seems 

 to be everywhere full of. 



This bird, which on some occasions presents 

 a very noble and poetic aspect, is two feet long, 

 and, when flying, shows a breadth of almost four 

 feet, from tip to tip of the wings, rivalling the 

 majestic size of the largest hawks. Although 

 he is called the " black-crowned," it is rather a 

 dark glossy green upon the top of the head and 

 covering a portion of the back, while the re- 

 mainder of the upper side is a soft bluish gray, 

 with a lilac tint. The under side, and the two 

 or three very long and slender plumes, reach- 

 ing from the hind-head down over the back, 

 are a lilac-tinted white. More prominent bits 

 of color are found in the large black bill, the 

 red eyes, and the long yellow legs dangling 

 backward as he flies. The immature speci- 

 mens, which are numerous in the fall, have a 

 very different plumage of motley brown, and 

 quite resemble the rather ignoble bittern. 



It is not at all to be wondered at that tliose 



whose hearts are not aglow with ornithology 



should seek to rid themselves of such clamorous 



neighbors as the night herons are; for, in 



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