110 HERON. 



of the feathers hanging quite to the back; these are narrow, white, 

 margined with black ; neck and breast pale ferruginous; the feathers 

 of the first very long and loose ; back ferruginous, inclining to violet, 

 the feathers long and narrow, reaching beyond the wings when closed, 

 and fall over them ; wings, rump, tail, belly, and vent, white; tail 

 pretty long; legs stout, greenish yellow, claw of the middle toe 

 serrated. 



This elegant species inhabits the bays of the Caspian Sea, and 

 slow streams of the Southern desert ; also about Bologna, in Italy, 

 where it is called Sguacco ; is said to be a bold and courageous bird. 

 One of these was shot at Boy ton, in Wiltshire, by Mr. Lambert, in 

 the year 1778 ; and another taken on the 20th of July, 1822, in a 

 fisherman's net, whilst drying, at Ormsby, in Norfolk* 



In the British Museum is one with the crest composed of several 

 long feathers, striped dusky and white, and reaching to the middle 

 of the neck ; those of the lower part of the back narrow and long s 

 reaching beyond the tail ; legs brown. 



-A. — Ardea comatse simillima, It. Poseg. p. 24. Ind. Orn. ii. 687. 39. y. 

 Der Sguacco, Reiner, Bechst. Deuts. iii. s. 46. 

 Sguacco Heron, Gen. Syn. Sup. ii. 302. 



The bill in this is white, tipped with black ; head not crested ; 

 forehead and hind part of the neck testaceous white, the feathers 

 margined with black ; tail white, the two middle feathers pale tes- 

 taceous at the tips ; rump, belly, and sides, white. 



Inhabits Possega, and other parts of Sclavonia, in Hungary ; 

 supposed to be a young bird of the Sguacco. 



* This was within fifty yards of the spot where the African Heron, No. 89, formerly in 

 the possession of Col. Montagu, and now in the British Museum, was taken a* few. years 

 since. — Lin. Trans, xiii. 617. 



