230 
CURSORES. 
those birds which are always conspicuous for the per- 
fect whiteness of their plumage ; but of all the spe- 
cies, this is probably gifted with a coat of the most 
delicate and beauti- 
ful texture. The 
head is ornamented 
with a long, flow- 
ing crest, composed 
of fine thread-like 
plumes. Upon the 
lower part of the 
neck the feathers 
are lengthened, and 
hang down in what 
might be called a 
loose beard-like tuft, 
while from the up- 
per part of the back 
proceed a number of 
Snowy Heron. ] on g slender plumes 
of lace-like delicacy, extending over the rump and 
turning upward at the extremity, the fine filaments 
hanging from the shafts like the hair from the tail 
of a bobtailed horse. 
This beautiful bird seems to give the preference to 
the salt marshes, which line the coast from Maine to 
Florida. Here, during the breeding season, they are 
generally abundant; and, as is the custom of the 
Herons, their nests are clustered together in commu- 
nities of greater or less numbers, according to cir- 
cumstances. In New Jersey, the cedars which gen- 
