o 
380 . ZOOLOGY. 
wings long; tail short, truncate; tarsi long, slender. Size — colors 
plain. 
A sub-family containing about one hundred birds, distributed throughout | 
the world. They are usually seen walking over the surface of marshy 
grounds in quest of small quadrupeds or reptiles, or standing in shallow 
sonia: quietly waiting the approach of fishes, which they capture by suddenly 
darting upon them with their powerful bills. They build their nests in trees. 
The purple heron, Ardea purpurea (pl. 98, fig. 5), is one of the European 
species, as is also the pigmy heron, A. ralloides (pl. 93, fig. 12). The most 
common American species is the great heron (A. herodias), which is one 
of the largest wading birds of the United States. 
The egrets form a distinct genus, distinguished readily by their beautiful 
snowy wihitte plumage, of which the snowy heron of the United States, 
Ligretta candidissima (pl. 93, fig. 6), is an example. 
The bitterns, which belorg here, are noted for their loud and peculiar 
cries. The best known are the European bittern, Botaurus stellaris (pl. 94, 
jig. 5), and the American species, B. minor. 
The spoonbills are also arranged here. They are large birds, with 
beautiful rose colored and white plumage; and their name has been derived 
from the singular form of the bill, which is expanded and flattened at the 
end, somewhat resembling a spoon. The roseate spoonbill, Platalea leu-- 
 corrhodia (pl. 98, fig. 4), is a native of Southern Europe and Africa. 
Sub-fam. 4. Ciconine, or Storks. Bill long. straight, rather thick, and 
somewhat conical; wings long and ample; tail moderate, broad; tarsi 
lengthened; feet moderate. Size large. | 
A small group of about twenty birds which, with one exception, 
reside only in the old world. In tropical countries, some of the storks 
frequent the vicinity of towns and villages, feeding on the offal cast into 
the streets. They are, however, usually observed stalking about plains or 
marshy districts in quest of reptiles or other small animals. The Bengal 
adjutant (Ciconia argala) is protected by law in some of the cities of India, 
in consideration of his services as a scavenger. 
The white stork of Europe, Ciconia alba (pl. 93, fig. 7), is a bird of 
sociable and mild disposition, held in much popular respect on account of 
its utility in destroying snakes and other animals usually considered noxious, 
and is easily tamed. In Turkey and other eastern countries, it is con- 
sidered a sacred bird, and its destruction is strictly prohibited. The stork 
is known to have the singular habit of sleeping while standing on one leg, 
holding the other drawn up amongst the feathers of the abdomen, whicn is 
also the habit of the American sand-hill crane. The great Audubon made 
the curious discovery that the latter invariably rested on the same one, or, 
as he pleasantly expresses it, “has a favorite leg for resting upon.” 
The black stork (C. nigra) is another European species. 
The only American species allied to the stork 1 is the Mycteria americana, 
found in South America. 
Sub-fam. 5. Tantaline, or [bises. Bill lengthened, slender, curved, com- 
pressed; wings rather long; tail moderate; tarsi usually rather long, 
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