SNOWY HERON. 311 



The Little Egret, or European species, is said by Latham and Turton 

 to be nearly a foot in length ; Bewick observes, that it rarely exceeds 

 a foot and a half; has a much shorter crest, with two long feathers; 

 the feet are. black; and the long plumage of the back, instead of turn- 

 ing up at the extremity, falls over the rump. 



The young of both these birds are generally very fat, and esteemed 

 by some peoj)le as excellent eating. 



Note. — Catesby represents the bill of this bird as red, and this error 

 has been perpetuated by all succeeding ornithologists. The fact is, 

 that the bills of young Herons are apt to assume a reddish tint after 

 death, and this was evidently mistaken by Catesby for a permanent 

 living color ; and represented as such by an exaggeration common to 

 almost all colorers of plates of Natural History. We have no hesita- 

 tion in asserting that a Heron such as that figured by the author in 

 question does not exist in the United States. That his Heron is identi- 

 cal with ours there can be no doubt, and we are equally satisfied that 

 his specimen was a bird of the first year. So common did we find this 

 species along the coasts of the Carolinas, Georgia and East Florida, 

 during the winter, that they were to be seen every hour of the day, and 

 were almost as tame as domestic fowls. A specimen shot in East 

 Florida was twenty-one inches in length ; the upper mandible, and tip 

 of the lower, were black, base of the latter flesh colored, the remainder 

 of bill yellow. — Gr. Ord. 



