250 



HERON. 



desirable to be retained as an existing- fact of the change : it was then 

 killed, and is now in my museum. 



" In this state the plumag-e of the Ringtail, or female, still remains 

 about the neck, the smaller coverts of the wings, the thighs, and part 

 of the belly, intermixed with the male plumage : the top of the head 

 and wreath have also a mixture of the feathers of both sexes : the 

 quills, scapulars, and tail, are completely masculine ; in the last of 

 these are a few small broken bars of cinereous-brown, on a white 

 ground, in the three outer feathers, the exterior margins cinereous- 

 grey ; the six middle feathers are almost wholly grey, and the markings 

 are very obscure beneath. 



" From the account here given of the Hen Harrier, it is quite clear 

 that the change of plumage is effected in the autumn of the year after 

 it leaves the nest, and not in the same year ; and as it is between three 

 and four months in the act of moulting, it is certainly very extraor- 

 dinary that so few instances have occurred of its being killed in that 

 state which might have been decisive. That such has been taken, is 

 evident by the description of Falco Hudsonius of authors, which is 

 doubtless this bird in change of plumage. 



" I have now only to remark that the nest of this bird was composed 

 of sticks rudely put together, was nearly flat, and placed on some fallen 

 branches of furze, that supported it just above the ground. The egg- 

 is a little inferior in size to that of the moor-buzzard, and similar in 

 shape and colour."* 



HERN and HERONSHAW. — Names for the Heron. 



HERON (Ardea Cinerea, Latham.) 



* Ardea cinerea, Lath. Ind. Orn. 2. p. 691. 54 — Ardea major, Gmel. Syst. 2. 627. 

 — Rail, Syn. 98. A. 1. — Ardea cristata, Briss. 5. p. 396. 2 — Le Heron Huppe, 

 Buff. Ois. 7. p. 342.— Crested Heron, Albin, 1. p. 67.— Ib. 3. p. 78.— Common 



Heron, Venn. Br. Zool. p. 116. A Flem. Br. Anim. p. 95 Will. Orn. p. 203. 



— Sibb. Scot. p. 18.— Linn. Syst. 1. p. 236.— 1 emm. Man. d'Orn. 2. p. 567. 



YOUNG. 



Ardea rhenana, Sander, Naturg. 13. p. 195. — Le Heron, Buff. Ois. 7. p. 342. 19.* 

 Provincial. — Hern. Heronshaw. Crane. Long-necked Heron. 



Heronswegh. Hegrie, or Skiphegrie. 

 The weight of this species is about three pounds and a half ; length, 

 to the end of the tail, about three feet four inches ; bill near six inches 

 long, dusky ; at the base of the under mandible yellow ; irides bright 

 yellow ; round the eye the skin is bare and greenish ; the forehead and 

 crown of the head white ; on the hind part of the head the feathers are 

 of a glossy black, very long, and form a loose pendant crest ; the neck 

 is whitish, marked on the fore part with a double row of black spots ; 



