EUROPEAN NIGHTHERON. 



611 



with brown : the wing-coverts and quills are grey- 

 brown, with large ovate yellowish white spots at 

 the tip of each feather : the under parts of the 

 body are shaded with brown : the upper edge of 

 the beak is brown, the rest is of a yellowish green : 

 the irides are brown : the legs are olive-brown. 

 At the age of two years the colours of the head 

 and the back are tinged with dusky, and the lon- 

 gitudinal spots on the neck become fewer in 

 number : the spots at the tips of the wing-coverts 

 are smaller: the proper cinereous hue makes its 

 appearance on the other parts of the body, and the 

 under parts become more white : the beak is 

 dusky brown : the irides are red-brown, and the 

 legs are tinged with green. 



The Nightheron frequents the sea shores, rivers, 

 and inland marshes, feeding upon fishes, worms, 

 insects, and frogs. It is very abundant in most 

 of the southern countries of both continents, but 

 towards the northern parts is extremely rare : very 

 few specimens have ever been killed in this country, 

 the first on record having been shot near London, 

 during the month of May 1782 ; since that period, 

 however, five or six more have been shot, and one 

 so lately as 1816, which is now in the British 

 Museum j this one occurred in the vicinity of 

 London^ 



The female builds her nest in trees or on the 

 ground ; she lays three or four greenish blue eggs. 

 During the day this species remains concealed, and 

 does not roam about until the dusk of the evening. 



