GREAT HERON. 



33 



Length of the Great Heron four feet four inches from the 

 point of the bill to the end of the tail, and to the bottom of the 

 feet five feet four inches ; extent six feet ; bill eight inches long, 

 and one inch and a quarter in width, of a yellow color, in some 

 blackish on the ridge, extremely sharp at the point, the edges also 

 sharp, and slightly serrated near the extremity ; space round the 

 eye from the nostril, a light purplish blue ; irides orange, bright- 

 ening into yellow where they join the pupil; forehead and middle 

 of the crown white, passing over the eye ; sides of the crown and 

 hind head deep slate or bluish black, and elegantly crested, the 

 two long tapering black feathers being full eight inches in length ; 

 chin, cheeks, and sides of the head white for several inches ; throat 

 white, thickly streaked with double rows of black; rest of the neck 

 brownish ash, from the lower part of which shoot a great number 

 of long narrow pointed white feathers that spread over the breast 

 and reach nearly to the thighs ; under these long plumes the breast 

 itself, and middle of the belly is of a deep blackish slate, the latter 

 streaked with white; sides blue ash, vent white; thighs and ridges 

 of the wings a dark purplish rust color ; whole upper parts of the 

 wings, tail, and body a fine light ash, the latter ornamented with 

 a profusion of long narrow white tapering feathers, originating on 

 the shoulders or upper part of the back, and falling gracefully over 

 the wings; primaries very dark slate, nearly black; naked thighs 

 brownish yellow; legs brownish black, tinctured with yellow, and 

 netted with seams of whitish ; in some the legs are nearly black. 

 Little difference could be perceived between the plumage of the 

 males and females ; the latter were rather less, and the long point- 

 ed plumes of the back were not quite so abundant. 



The young birds of the first year have the whole upper part 

 of the head of a dark slate ; want the long plumes of the breast 

 and back ; and have the body, neck, and lesser coverts of the wings 

 considerably tinged with ferruginous. 



VOL. VIII. I 



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