102 
PE ALE’S EGRET HERON. 
shortish appressed feathers ; and by having a very large part of 
the tibia naked. 
The second, called Bittern, ( Botaurus ,) has the neck shortish, 
with loose, longish feathers, and the posterior more or less disti¬ 
chous and lanuginous: the naked part of the tibia is much limited. 
In all the Herons the bill is more or less longer than the head, 
cleft to beneath the eyes, straight, compressed, conic-elongate, 
acuminate and very acute, higher than wide, and more or less 
robust. Both mandibles are near their base covered with a kind 
of very thin cere or membrane: the upper is scarcely longer than 
the lower mandible, and equal in height: it is longitudinally 
impressed on the sides with a straight furrow obliterated before: 
the upper ridge is therefore rather distinct and flat at base, 
terminated by the frontal feathers transversely placed; towards 
the point the ridge is perfectly smooth, compressed, and slightly 
and gradually inclined at tip: the edges, nearly vertical, in some 
species are perfectly entire, in others obliquely and finely denti¬ 
culated, in all emarginated at the extreme tip: the palate has in 
the middle a longitudinal sword-like process, perfectly straight, 
which towards the throat is more or less conspicuously doubled: 
the lower mandible has strong and flattened sides, more or less 
impressed towards the base; it is sharply acute, with the edges 
drawn in, excessively sharp, quite straight, either entire or slightly 
serrated obliquely: the inferior ridge is slightly compressed, 
rather acute, and more or less ascending; the mental angle is 
extended beyond the middle of the mandible, is exceedingly 
narrow, very acute, and feathered: the lor a are naked, as well as 
a portion of the orbits. The nostrils, not quite basal, are placed 
in the furrow, and are linear, longitudinal, pervious, and above 
half closed by a naked membrane. The tongue is half the length 
of the bill, acute, very entire, narrow, membranous, and rather 
flattened. The body is much compressed. The feet are equili- 
