402 NIGHT HERON, OR QUA-BIRD. 



to it. Among a great number which I examined with atten- 

 tion, the following description was carefully taken from a 

 common-sized full-grown male : — 



Length of the night heron, two feet four inches ; extent, 

 four feet ; bill, black, four inches and a quarter long from the 

 corners of the mouth to the tip ; lores, or space between the 

 eye and bill, a bare bluish white skin ; eyelids also large and 

 bare, of a deep purple blue ; eye, three-quarters of an inch 

 in diameter; the iris of a brilliant blood red; pupil, black; 

 crested crown, and hind head deep dark blue, glossed with 

 green ; front and line over the eye, white ; from the hind 

 head proceed three very narrow, white, tapering feathers, 

 between eight and nine inches in length ; the vanes of these 

 are concave below, the upper one enclosing the next, and that 

 again the lower ; though separated by the hand, if the plumage 

 be again shook several times, these long flowing plumes 

 gradually enclose each other, appearing as one ; these the 

 bird has the habit of erecting when angry or alarmed ; the 

 cheeks, neck, and whole lower parts, are white, tinctured with 

 yellowish cream, and under the wings with very pale ash ; 

 back and scapulars, of the same deep dark blue, glossed with 

 green, as that of the crown ; rump and tail-coverts, as well 

 as the whole wings and tail, very pale ash ; legs and feet, a pale 

 yellow cream colour ; inside of the middle claw, serrated. 



The female differed in nothing as to plumage from the male, 

 but in the wings being of rather a deeper ash, having not 

 only the dark deep green blue crown and back, but also the 

 long pendant white plumes from the hind head. Each of the 

 females contained a large cluster of eggs of various sizes. 



The young (fig. 3) was shot soon after it had left the 

 nest, and differed very little from those which had been taken 

 from the trees, except in being somewhat larger. This mea- 

 sured twentj'-one inches in length, and three feet in extent ; 

 the general colour above, a very deep brown, streaked with 

 reddish white, the spots of white on the back and wings being 

 triangular, from the centre of the feather to the tip ; quills, 



