HERON. 117 



Mr. Abbot says, it makes the nest of sticks; eggs the size of 

 those of a Pullet, blue green : young birds entirely white, and con- 

 tinue so nearly the whole summer; after that patched with blue, 

 before they acquire their full blue colour, called the Blue Egret. 

 I observe among the drawings of this gentleman, another Pied 

 Heron,* said to be twenty-one inches long and thirty-four broad, 

 with a bill three inches and three quarters long. This is probably 

 one of the larger species in imperfect plumage ; the skin said to be 

 of a dark or blackish blue colour ; it frequents the ponds in summer ; 

 is a shy bird, and not common. 



A. — Ardea ceerulescens, Ind. Orn. ii. 690. 

 Le Crabier a Cou brun, Buf. vii. 392. 

 Heron bleuatre de Cayenne, PL enl. 349. 

 Blue Heron, Gen. Syn. v. 79. 45. A. 



Length nineteen inches. Bill yellow ; lore reddish ; head and 

 neck rufous brown ; at the hindhead two long feathers, reaching 

 two-thirds down the neck ; the rest of the body, wings, and tail deep 

 blue; legs brown. 



Inhabits Cayenne, and is probably the male of the Blue Species, 

 in the most complete state of plumage. I rather suppose this, as the 

 figure in the PL enlum. and that in the Amer. Orn. greatly coincide, 

 except that in the former the lore is red, and not blue. 



85.- CINEREOUS HERON. 



Ardea cyanopus, Ind. Orn. ii. C85. Gm. Lin. i. 644. 

 Ardea Americana cinereai Bris. v. 406.; Id. 8v®. ii. 316. 

 Le Crabier cendre, Buf. vii. 401. 

 Cinereous Heron, Gen. Syn. v. 71. 



A TRIFLE bigger than the Gardenian Heron. Bill two inches 

 and a half long, blue, with a black tip ; lore blue; head, and all 



* See Little Egret, No. 50. 



