34 
GREAT HERON. 
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. 
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 consi- 
derable and uniform thickness throughout, and capable of contain- 
ing nearly a pint ; it was entirely filled with fish, among which were 
some small eels, all placed head downwards ; the intestines mea- 
sured nine feet in length, were scarcely as thick as a goose-quill, 
and incapable of being distended : so that the vulgar story of the 
Heron swallowing eels, which passing suddenly through him are 
repeatedly swallowed, is absurd. On the external coat of the sto- 
mach of one of these birds, opened soon after being shot, some- 
thing like a blood vessel lay in several meandering folds, enveloped 
in a membrane, and closely adhering to the surface. On carefully 
opening this membrane it was found to contain a large round liv- 
ing worm, eight inches in length ; another of like length was found 
coiled in the same manner on another part of the external coat. 
It may also be worthy of notice, that the intestines of the young 
birds of the first season, killed in the month of October, when they 
were nearly as large as the others, measured only six feet four or 
five inches, those of the full grown ones from eight to nine feet in 
length. 
This species is common in the vicinity of the river St. John, 
in East Florida, during the winter ; becomes very fat, and is excel- 
lent eating. 
