62 
GREAT HERON. 
' Length of the Great Heron four feet four inches from the 
point of the hill 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 colour,^ 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, 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 elegantly crested, the two long tapering black feathers be- 
ing 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 colour; 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, orgi- 
nating 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, tinc- 
tured 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 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. 
On dissection the gullet was found of great width, from the 
mouth to the stomach, which has not the two strong muscular 
