Cuass Il COMMON HERON. 
and the coverts of the wings of a light grey ; the 
back clad only with down, covered with the sca- 
pulars ; the forepart of the neck white spotted 
with a double row of black; the feathers are 
white, long, narrow, unwebbed, falling loose 
over the breast; the scapulars of the same 
texture, grey streaked with white. The ridge 
of the wing white, primaries and bastard wing 
black; along the sides beneath the wings is 
a bed of black feathers, very long, soft, and 
elegant; in old times used as egrets for the 
hair, or ornaments to the caps of knights of the 
garter; the breast, belly, and thighs white; 
the last dashed with yellow. The tail consists 
of twelve short cinereous feathers ; the legs are 
of a dirty green ; the toes long, the claws short, 
the inner edge of the middle claw finely ser- 
rated. 
The head of the female is grey; it wants the 
long crest, having only a short plume of dusky 
feathers ; the feathers above the breast short ; 
the scapulars grey and webbed; the sides grey. 
This has hitherto been supposed to be a distinct 
species from the former ; but later observations 
prove them to be the same. — 
“In England, and the milder climates, this 
species of heron is stationary, migratory in the 
FEMALE. 
