GREAT HERON. 
31 
licad of Tuckahoe river, in Cape May county, New 
Jersey. In this case, the femalc.s could not be mistaken, 
as some of the eg'gs were nearly ready for exclusion. 
Length of the great heron, four feet four inches 
trom the point of the bill to the end of the tail; and to 
the bottom of the feet, live feet four inches ; extent, 
feet; bill, eight inches long, and one inch and a 
quarter in width, of a yellow colour, in some blackish 
®u 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 
nie ; irides, orange, brighteniugf into yellow where 
' I y .ioiu the pupil ; forehead and middle of the crown, 
^ bite, passing over the eye ; sides ol' the crown and 
hiridhead, deep slate, or bluish black, and elegantly 
the two long, tapering, black feathers, being 
tjj** ®ight inches in length ; chin, cheeks, and sides of 
j head, white for several inches ; throat, « bite, thickly 
naked with double rows of black ; rest of the neck, 
•■nwnish ash, from the lower part of which shoot a 
Sreat number of long, narrow pointed, white feathers, 
ti*?*" spread over the breast, and reach nearly to the 
n 'fm ’ '"‘her these long plumes, the breast itself, and 
I Jhdle of the belly, are of a dee]) bhu'kish slate, the 
tvh' *" "’^'iihed with white ; sides, bine ash ; vent, 
ru '■'‘‘Shs and ridges of the wings, a dark purplish 
‘‘ilour; whole upper parts of the wings, tail, and 
Dr f ’ ^ light ash, the latter ornamented with a 
or'c '"‘''B* narrow, vi hite, tapering feathers, 
and shoulders or iipjier part of the back, 
da 1. 1 '"n gracefully over the wings; primaries, very 
leir , nearly black ; naked thighs, brownish yellow ; 
MmI’ black, tinctured with yellow, and netted 
bp 1 ®®nms of whitish ; in some, the legs are nearly 
,l‘‘®'r Little difference could be perceived between 
Vafb^ *'*‘® 'nales and females ; the latter were 
w.. *ke long pointed plumes of the back 
nnt quite so abundant. 
. n^ke young birds of the first year have the whole 
PPer part of the head of a dark slate ; want the long 
