200 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



First winter and summer. — Much like juvenile but fore-head 

 and sides of crown, neck, upper -parts and flanks more blue-grey, 

 not so brownish ; chin and cheeks purer white ; crest -feathers 

 longer and more pointed than in juvenile ; black down middle of 

 throat, not brownish ; belly whiter, sides of breast and belly as 

 juvenile not black as in adult (feathers of mantle and upper scapulars 

 not elongated at tip as in adult, but with rami separated and slightly 

 elongated). The juvenile body-plumage is moulted Sept -Dec. 

 (sometimes not until Feb.), but not wings, tail or wing-coverts. 



Second winter and summer. — Much like adult, but fore-head 

 grey with some very pale grey or whitish feathers, fewer feathers 

 of scapulars and mantle with elongated ashy tips than in adult. 

 This plumage is acquired by complete moult which appears to com- 

 mence sometimes in May (earlier than in adult), but usually not 

 until June or July. At next moult (i.e. when bird is 2 years old) it 

 appears to become as adult. 



Measurements and structure. — $ wing 430-470 mm., tail 155- 



175, tarsus 135-165, bill from feathers 100-125 (12 



^f measured). 2 wing 425^60, bill 100-125. Primaries : 



2nd, 3rd and 4th longest, but 2nd often 5 mm. shorter, 



1st 5-20 shorter, 5th 10-25 shorter, 6th 40-55 shorter, 



7th 65-85 shorter ; 2nd to 4th (5th slightly) emargin- 



ated outer webs, and 1st and 2nd (3rd slightly) inner 



webs. Tail square, 12 feathers, tips rounded, under 



tail-coverts nearly as long as tail-feathers. Bill strong, 



straight, compressed, pointed, upper mandible ridged, 



towards tip cutting edges slightly serrated and at tip 



a small notch. Nostrils long and slit-like. Skin of 



loral region and just above and below eye bare.. Basal 



half of back of neck bare of feathers, but hidden by 



feathers of sides of neck. No rictal or nasal bristles. 



About one -third of tibia bare. Toes long and slender, 



" soles " fleshy and spreading, 3rd and 4th webbed at 



T base. Claws fairly strong, sharp and curved, that of 



The common middle toe flattened and pectinated on its inner side. 



tofand ckw d f ® n ^ddle breast and belly large patch and each side 



aduit to show of lower-back near insertion of legs small patch of 



" powder " down, white shortish down, with very 



fine and closely set barbs, much matted together and lying close to 



skin, very friable and greasy to the touch. 



Soft parts. — Bill, upper mandible brown (blackish- horn in juv.) 

 lower yellow to yellowish-brown ; lores yellowish, round eyes 

 greenish ; legs and feet dull brown ; iris yellow. 



Characters and allied forms. — A. c. jouyi (east Siberia, Japan, 

 China) adult is usually white on neck and paler (often whitish) on 

 wing-coverts. Large size and grey colour distinguish Common from 

 other British Herons. 



Field -characters. — Gregarious in nesting-season and more or 



