HERON. 65 



Inhabits Carolina, chiefly in the rainy season ; at the Bahama 

 Islands they breed among the rocks, in the bushes on the banks, and 

 are called Crab-catchers; in the Bahamas they are in such plenty, 

 that a boat may be loaded with the young ones in a few hours ; and 

 so far from shy, that they will scarcely get out of the way of those 

 who mean to take them : the young are pretty good eating. 



The above seems to be the one called Poor Job, which Mr. Bar- 

 tram mentions as arriving in spring, in Carolina, and Florida, from 

 the south; and after breeding, and bringing up the young, returning 

 from whence it came. 



26.— JAMAICA NIGHT HERON. 



Ardea Jamaicensis, Ind. Orn. ii. 679. Gm. Lin. i. 625. 

 Le Heron brun tachete, Voy. d'Azara, iv. No. 355. 

 Jamaica Night Heron, Gen. Syn. v. p. 54. 



LENGTH one foot eleven inches. Bill four inches long, and 

 dusky ; upper mandible bending a trifle downwards at the point, 

 the ridge blackish; irides pale straw-colour; before the eye, and 

 round it, bare and greenish ; the head somewhat crested ; crown 

 dark brown, the feathers streaked with ferruginous; neck the same, 

 but the colours more dull and paler ; chin and throat white; neck 

 feathers loose ; upper part of the back darkest ; the rest of the back 

 and scapulars yellowish brown, some of the last tipped with white ; 

 wing coverts like the back, but the lower order of them much paler, 

 giving the appearance of a broad bar; all the coverts white down 

 the shafts, spreading out to the tip, and forming a longish, trian- 

 gular spot ; quills the colour of the lesser coverts ; primaries and 

 bastard wing tipped with white; secondaries plain; breast and belly 

 white, streaked with obscure pale brown ; vent white ; legs brown. 



I received this bird from Jamaica, under the name of Clucking 

 Hen ; said to frequent the woods, contrary to the rest of the Genus, 



VOL. IX. K 



