82 THE SPECIES. 



it is not shot quite as often as is reported in the newspapers. Most of the Golden Eagles 

 shot in England b^ gamekeepers are Sea Eagles, from which the Golden bird is at once 

 distinguishable by its having the tarsus feathered right down to the toes. The Golden 

 Eagle rarely hovers ; he flies with a few powerful strokes, and then glides along with no 

 apparent motion of the wings, his neck and feet drawn in so as to make his lengj:h seem much 

 shorter than it really is, in proportion to the wing-spread. The note is a " yelp ' and a 

 " squeal." The female is rather larger than the male, and the young have their tails_ white 

 at the base. The nest is a flat mass of sticks, often five feet across, placed on some precipitous 

 cliff, or in a tree, or even on the ground, and it is roughly lined with moss and heather, or 

 grass and fern. The eggs are generally two in number, but cases are on record in which 

 three and four have been found, and sometimes there is only one. 



ArcMtouteo. Plate xiv. FALCONIDjE. 



177. lagopus, 26 in. Rough-legged Buzzard. Crown and neck white. 



with brown patches ; plumage generally brown 



above, white below ; tail white, barred with brown ; 



thighs barred with brown ; 24 remiges, fourth 



primary longest, first four primaries notched. 



. The Rough-legged Buzzard— Dimensions, Rr ; Eggs, Os— once a resident, seems to be 



\/ now only a visitor. On the wing it is distinguishable from the ordinary Buzzard by the 



white on the tail. It is rarely seen to glide, but leisurely strokes along as if intent on a very 



(ong journey. Its note is a squealing " mew." The female is larger than the male, and like 



him varies considerably in size. The nest is generally placed on a clifl" or on a tree, and 



consists of a large flat mass of sticks lined with grass ; the eggs being from two to five in 



number. 



ARDEIDM. 



Squacco Heron. Head buff; crown black and 

 white. 



Buff-backed Heron. Head buff ; crown buft. 

 Little Egret. All white ; bill black. 

 Purple Heron. Crown black ; crest black. 

 Heron. Crown white ; crest black. 

 Great White Heron. All white ; bill yellow. 

 The Squacco Heron — Dimensions, Oh ; Eggs, Jo — is one of our occasional straggler.s, 

 apparently arriving in the spring and summer and, once at least, staying here till November. 

 The Buff-backed Heron— Dimensions, Pe ; Eggs, Lm — appeared in Devonshire in 1805, 

 and was promptly shot and sent to the British Museum where it now is. Two other 

 appearances are recorded and that is all. 



The Little Egret — Dimensions, Qb ; Eggs, Le — occasionally straggles here from the Lower 

 Danube, and a specimen was shot on the £xe, in 1870. 



The Purple Heron— Dimensions, Sn; Eggs, On — is more frequently met with in this 

 country than the three last species, but it is still very rare. 



The Heron — Dimensions, Tb ; Eggs, Pt — is the only species of Ardea breeding in this 

 country. Its flight is a slow, steady flap, with the wings much arched, the legs held out, 

 the neck doubled back, and the beak out straight like a bowsprit. Its cry is a croaky sort 

 of "kronk." The female is duller in plumage, and has a smaller crest and shorter pUinies. 

 The nest is a flat one, built of twigs, turf, moss, roots, and wool, and is generally placed in 

 tall trees- The eggs are from three to five in number. 



The Great White Heron — Dimensions, Th , Eggs, Qu— has straggled over here about 

 eight times, probably on a voyage from the Crimea. The bird, which has been found as far 

 east as Japan and as far south as the Transvaal, has a black bill when in summer plumage. 



Ardetta. Plate xvii. ARDEIDM. 



208. minuta, 13 in. Little Bittern. Crown and back black ; four 



powder-down tracts ; primaries and tail brownish 

 black ; legs greenish yellow. 



The Little Bittern— Dimensions, Km ; Eggs, Ig — has put In one or two appearances in 

 nearly every county in England at all seasons of the year, and is even said to -have bred here. 

 Its flight is low, but very quick and strong, and its note is a peculiar " wof-wof." The female 

 has no green gloss in the crown, which is brownish, and the primaries are dark brown instead 

 of black. The nest is generally hung to reeds, a little above the water, or built in pollards, 

 and it is composed of flags and grass, and holds from five to nine eggs. This bird has been 

 known to breed in a Magpie's nest. 



