120 HERON. 



Inhabits the southern latitudes; found about the Caspian and 

 Black Seas, as also the Lakes of Great Tartary, and the River 

 Irtisch, but not farther east in Siberia ; and rarely ventures beyond 

 50 degrees north : not unfrequent in India. This is a beautiful bird ; 

 the vertebrae of the neck are long and cylindrical ; the trachea, about 

 the middle of the neck, passes obliquely to the right side, and from 

 thence goes down behind the vertebrae, until it reaches the thorax, 

 when it again passes obliquely by the right side, to the lower part of 

 the vertebrae. It is the Kyra of the Mussulmans; and Cane of the 

 Bengalese and Sanscrit : frequents the jeels near Calcutta, but is not 

 very common, and has the usual manners of the Heron ; its Bengalese 

 name is generic, and is applied to any water bird with a long neck, 

 of which the plumage consists of various dark colours.* Found in 

 Java, where it is called Changa-ulu. 



88— PURPLE HERON. 



Ardea purpurata, Ind.Om.W. 698. Gm. Lin. i. 641. Tern. Man. 365. Id. Ed. ii. 571. 

 Ardea purpurascens, Bris. v. 420. Id. 8vo. ii. 320. 

 Der glattkopfige purpur Reiher, Bechst. Dents, iii. 21. 

 Heron pourpre, Buf. vii. 369. 

 Purple Heron, Gen. Syn. v. 96. 



SIZE of the Common Heron, but with a longer head and bill, 

 the upper mandible yellowish green, the under yellowish ; lore the 

 same; crown blackish ash-colour; neck the same, marked behind 

 with small blackish lines, the forepart spotted with dull yellow; 

 upper part of the body and wings purplish chestnut ; belly, sides, 

 and thighs, ash-colour, palest near the vent ; greater wing coverts 

 farthest from the body blackish brown ; quills much the same; legs 

 brown. 



Inhabits the Banks of the Danube. It probably does not much 

 differ from Crested Purple Species. 



* Dr. Buchanan. 



