HERON. 81 



marked with dusky bars behind, and before with broad white dashes 

 down the middle of each feather ; the back and upper part of the 

 body cinereous brown ; wing- coverts palest ; inner edge of the wing 

 reddish; breast white, with long spots of black; thighs reddish brown ; 

 belly and vent white; legs dusky; middle claw pectinated, hind 

 claw very long. 



Inhabits North America, from New York to Hudson's Bay, 

 frequenting the inland lakes of the last in summer. Mr. Abbot 

 observes, that it frequents the sides of the ponds and rivers of Georgia 

 all the year; that it is four feet long to the end of the tail, and rive 

 and a quarter to the end of the toes, breadth six feet ; the general 

 colour of the plumage brownish ash ; shoulders of the wings pale 

 ferruginous; thighs the same, dashed with brown; legs yellowish 

 lead-colour. The Great Heron is called in Georgia the Long-Shore 

 Man. 



Young birds of the first year have the whole of the upper part of 

 the head dark slate; they want the long plumes of the breast and 

 back, and have the body, neck, and lesser wing coverts, tinged with 

 ferruginous; but when adult, both sexes are much alike; they build 

 on the tops of tall cedars, in swamps, ten or fifteen pairs often occu- 

 pying a particular spot ; the nest large, made of sticks, and lined 

 with twigs, each occupying the top of a single tree; the eggs four 

 in number, larger than those of a Hen, plain, light greenish blue : 

 the young hatched about the middle of May, and only one brood in 

 a season. 



42— VARIEGATED HERON. 



Ardea variegata, Ind. Orn. ii. 692. Scop. i. No. 120. 

 Variegated Heron, Gen. Syn. Sup. ii. 304. 



THIS is ferruginous, spotted with brown ; beneath paler; throat 

 white; forehead black ; thighs rufous ; legs brown. 



This was in the collection of Count Turrian, supposed by Scopoli 

 to be a Variety of the Great Heron ; but the size is not mentioned. 



vol. ix. M 



