212 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



pale blue, 4-5 in number. Average size of 75 eggs 38.4x28.5. 

 Max. : 41.6x31.5. Min. : 35x28.2 and 36.2x27 mm. Breeding- 

 season. — Later than Little Egret and Buff-backed Heron ; rarely 

 earlier than second week of May in S. Spain and more often in June. 

 Incubation. — No reliable details. Single-brooded. 



Food. — Almost omnivorous ; small mammals (shrew found in crop); 

 fish, generally small, insects (coleoptera, orthoptera, etc.), Crustacea 

 (small crabs), mollusca, frogs and worms. 



Distribution. — -British Isles. — Rare vagrant. About seventy. 

 England. — Scilly Isles, Cornwall (over 20), Devon, Somerset, Dorset, 

 Wilts., Hants., Isle of Wight, Sussex, Surrey, Kent, Suffolk, Norfolk, 

 Lines., Northumberland, Cumberland, Notts., Salop. Wales. — 

 Denbigh, Montgomery, and Brecon. Scotland. — Three and one 

 seen. Ireland. — Ten (chiefly south coast). 



Distribution. — Abroad. — Breeds south Spain, Danube valley, and 

 south Russia to Caspian Sea, Persia, Transcaspia, also whole Africa. 

 Casual in other parts of Mediterranean countries, central Europe 

 and Atlantic Isles. 



Genus NYCTICORAX Forst. 



Nycticorax Forster, Synopt. Cat. Brit. B., p. 59 (1817 — Monotype : 

 A 7 . infaustus = nycticorax). 



Bill not longer than head, bulky, strong and broad, upper 

 mandible curved, lower straight, as long as tarsus or shorter. Tarsus 

 in front reticulated. Only small portion of tibia bare. Neck short 

 and thick, head crested and with several long white tape-like feathers. 

 Habits nocturnal. Number of tropical forms, one Palsearctic. 



NYCTICORAX NYCTICORAX 



280. Nycticorax nycticorax nycticorax (L.) — THE NIGHT- 

 HERON. 



Ardea Nycticorax Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., ed. x, i, p. 142 (1758 — S. 



Europe). 



Nycticorax griseus (Linnaeus), Yarrell, iv, p. 195 ; Saunders, p. 379. 



The Night.Heron. (Nycticorcuc n. nycticorax) 



