CICONIIFORMES. 355 



all the year round along streams and rivers, upon lakes and 

 pools, especially revelling in those of a reedy nature. In 

 colour the dabchick in summer is dark-brown above and greyish- 

 white below ; cheeks, throat, and sides of the neck tawny ; bUl 

 dusky-brown, greenish-yellow at the gape ; legs and toes dull 

 greenish-brown. In winter the plumage is paler, and the chin 

 is white instead of black. In length the little grebe varies from 

 nine to ten inches. They form their nest as a floating structure 

 attached to water-plants ; it is usually composed of reeds, and 

 is often of a large size. Nesting is said to last from April to 

 August. Six white eggs are generally deposited, and are covered 

 up by the bird when the nest is left. The young grebes are 

 quite light in colour, and, like all members of this family, are 

 carried about by the parents on their back, sitting close between 

 the bases of the wings. All the grebes seem to have a habit of 

 swallowing feathers and of ejecting them again with other un- 

 digested products, like the owls. The food consists of small 

 fish, insects, and various small aquatic animals, as weU as 

 vegetation. 



4. Ciconiiformes. 



Herons, Bitterns, &c. (Arde^). 



These birds have all long legs and long strong-pointed biUs. 

 The three chief groups are the Herons (Ardea) and the Bitterns 

 (Botaurus), forming the family Ardeidse, and the Storks 

 {Oicordd), forming the family CiconiidaB. 



The Herons {Ardea) have long straight bUls in the form of a 

 long compressed cone. The legs long and slender, and naked 

 above the tarsal joint ; three toes in front, the outer one joined 

 to the middle one by a membrane, one toe directed backwards ; 

 claws long and very sharp. They have on their breasts and 

 flanks tufts of decomposed powdery feathers for powdering 

 the plumage. Our best-known example is the Common Heron 



