462 
He Hijlory of ANIMALS. 
the Iongeft of thefe which are thofe toward the breaft, are black in the middle : the 
lowei part of the belly, and the thighs on the inftde, are of a pale, whiti£h-red but 
ted with black" th£ 0U££r Pa “ ° f the th ' ShS ’ are ° f 3 deeper C0!0 "’ “ d the y are fpot- 
\ 
The back and whole upper part of the bird are elegantly variegated with brown 
black, and grey, in a beautiful arrangement, and irregular blotches. * 
The long feathers in the wings are fome of them black, from the tip up to a third 
part of the feather; the reft are irregularly variegated with black and brown in 
tranfverfe lines: the fmaller feathers of the wings are of a pale reddifh-brown • the 
black Ipots are larger, between the fhoulders, than in any other part, and they run 
downward, and the reddifh-colour from this part degenerates into a kind of yeliowifti 
tawny: the legs are long and robuft, and they are naked more than half way up the 
thighs: the toes are very long and thick, and the claws are robuft, long and fharp 
This fpecies is a native of England, and is very common in our fen countries but 
more rare elfewhere. We meet with it fkulking among the reeds and fedge and it’s 
ufual pofture is with the head and neck eredt, and the beak pointed diredly Jpwards. 
it will fuffer perfons to come very near it fometimes without rifing, and has been 
known to ftrike at boys, who have got into the clofer retirements in it’s way up from 
the cover. It will do the fame by the fportfman, when wounded, and unable to 
make it’s efcape; it always aims the ftroke at an eye, and has fometimes been fatal. 
It flies principally toward the dufk of the evening, and then rifes in a very An¬ 
gular manner by a fpiral afcent, till it is quite out of light. It makes a very odd noife 
fometimes, as it is among the reeds ; and a very different, though fufficiently An¬ 
gular one too, as it is rifing on the wing in the night; thefe different notes have ob¬ 
tained it, among our country people, the two names of the Butterbnmp and the Night- 
Raven ; it’s genuine and proper Englifh name is the Bittern. All the writers on birds 
have defcribed it. Gefner calls it Ardea ftellaris minor; Aldrovand, Ardea ftellaris 
minor five Ocnus; Willughby, Ray, and others, Ardea ftellaris. 
Ardea nigra , peSlore abdomineque albis . 
*The black Ardea y with the breaft and belly white . 
Macft 
This is an ered and beautiful bird; it is larger than our heron in the body, but it’s 
neck is not quite fo long, in proportion; fo that, when it Hands ered, it is hardly quite 
fo tall as that bird : the head is large and rounded in the general Agure, only a little de- 
preffed on the fummit: the eyes are large and bright; the beak is long, ftrong, fharp 
at the point, and all the way of a green colour, only paler on the upper part than be¬ 
low : the tongue is red, and is fhort, though the length of the beak is not lefs than 
eleven inches: the mouth opens to a vaft extent, and the throat is enormoufly wide: 
the neck is about ten or eleven inches in length, and is moderately thick; it is black, 
as are alfo the back fhoulders and wings; indeed, the whole upper furface of the body 
is of this colour, but the breaft and belly are white. 
The legs are long, and not very robuft; they are of a deep green colour, and they 
are naked more than half way above the knee : the toes are long, robuft, and armed 
with fharp claws. 
This is a native of Italy, and moft: of the warmer parts of Europe, nor is it con- 
Aned to thofe; it is feen in Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, but not that I know of 
in England. All the writers on birds have defcribed it, and almoft all of them under 
the fame name, Ciconia nigra. 
Ardea 
