HERON. 131 



109— BLUE-HEADED HERON. 



Ardea cyanocephala, Ind. Orn. ii. 688. Molin. Chil. 208. Id. Fr. Ed. 214. 4. Gm. 



Lin. i. 633. 

 La Flute ilu Soleil, Voy. cTAzara, iv. No. 320. 

 Blue-headed Heron, Gen. Syn. Sup. ii. 303. 



BILL black ; round the eye bare, blue ; iricles white ; head and 

 back blue; wings lead-colour, edged with white ; belly yellowish 

 green, or black and yellow mixed ; back and tail green ; legs yellow ; 

 Azara says black. 



Inhabits Chili; called by the Guaranis, Curahi-remimbri, or 

 Flute of the Sun, on account of its sweet and melancholy whistle, 

 often repeated ; is pretty common, either singly, or in pairs : both 

 sexes nearly alike. 



It makes the nest on trees, of sticks, the eggs two in number, 

 and blue, dotted with straw-colour ; it also roosts on trees at night, 

 but is frequently seen on moist plains, in the day time. 



110— BLUE-CROWNED HERON. 



LENGTH nearly two feet. Bill from the gape four inches and 

 a half; round the eyes greenish brown ; gape and eyelids yellow; 

 crown deep dusky blue, the feathers at the nape long, and forming 

 a crest, beneath which are longer ones, white, and pointed at the 

 ends; the rest of the neck as the crown; chin white, continuing 

 ^down the middle in a streak, and mixed with ferruginous; feathers 

 of the breast long, and loose, like the rest, but with a purplish 

 tinge, especially behind ; rest of the back and wings deep ash- 

 coloured blue ; under wing coverts, belly, thighs, and vent, white, 

 but at the bottom of the thighs is a mixture of brownish ; quills as 

 the back, and equal the tail in length ; from the lower part of the 



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