94 HERON. 



56— GIBRALTAR HERON. 



LENGTH to the end of the tail twenty inches, to the middle 

 claw twenty-seven inches, breadth three feet ; from the eye to the 

 point of the bill two inches and five-eighths. Bill, irides, and lore, 

 yellow; the whole plumage snowy white, except in old birds, where 

 the crown of the head is pale orange, as in the Soland Pelican ; 

 upper mandible brown at the tip, emarginated, and serrated towards 

 the end ; legs bare above the knee, for one inch and a half, dirty 

 green, the front of the shins and the toes black, the middle claw 

 serrated . 



These are often seen at Gibraltar, coming from Barbary, in 

 flocks, in autumn ; and remain about the rivers in the neighbourhood 

 in winter; are observed to follow the cattle in the pastures of Barbary, 

 and perch on their backs, relieving them from the larvae of the 

 Oestrus. 



A specimen of this was in the Leverian Museum, sent by the 

 late Rev. Mr. White, of Gibraltar. This gentleman mentioned a 

 similar one, about the same size and colour, differing only in having 

 the back pale ash-colour, and the beak, orbits, legs, and feet, bright 

 and beautiful green. One specimen only brought into Gibraltar to 

 the market, from Spain. This was probably a young bird. 



A. — Caboga Heron, Penn. Hindoost. ii. 158. 



Length sixteen inches. Bill three inches, pretty stout, and 

 yellow ; irides orange ; plumage wholly white : legs black. 

 Inhabits Bengal ; called Caboga, ^eems allied to the last. 



