298 
GEEAT HERON. 
tioned ; on the contrary, the young or yearling bird has been universally 
described as the female. 
On the eighteenth of May I examined, both externally and by dissec- 
tion, five specimens of the Great Heron, all in complete plumage, killed 
in a cedar swamp near the head of Tuckahoe river, in Cape May county, 
New Jersey. In this case the females could not be mistaken, as some 
of the eggs were nearly ready for exclusion. 
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 inclies ; 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, ex- 
tremely sharp at the point, the edges also sharp, and slightly serrated 
near the extremity ; space round the eye from the nostril, a light pur- 
plish blue ; irides orange, brightening 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 ele- 
gantly 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 lat- 
ter 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 ; prima- 
ries 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 pointed plumes of the back Avere 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. 
On dissection the gullet was found of great width, from the mouth to 
the stomach, which has not the two strong muscular coats that form the 
gizzard of some birds ; it was more loose, of considerable and uniform 
thickness throughout, and capable of containing nearly a pint ; it was 
entirely filled with fish, among which were some small eels, all placed 
head downwards ; the intestines measured nine feet in length, were 
t 
