104 
PEALE’S EGRET HERON. 
the adults, only obtaining their full plumage after the third year. 
They moult annually. The adults are ornamented by long 
slender feathers, which they lose in moulting, and do not acquire 
again for some time, when they resemble the young. 
These birds are remarkably dull: they inhabit marshes, or 
watch perched on trees near the water for their prey, which the 
conformation of their feet enables them to do with ease. "I hey 
1 ' , ' ) 
feed exclusively on animals, especially fishes and reptiles, but 
likewise large insects, and even small mammalia. They often 
stand motionless on the margins of ponds or marshes, concealed 
by the tall grass and weeds, with the neck so bent as to rest the 
head on the back, waiting patiently for their prey to pass within 
their reach, when they dart forward their sharp bill with inevi¬ 
table aim: but when tired of this, which is often unsuccessful, 
they overcome their natural indolence so far as to move slowly 
through the mud or water, stirring up as they walk by means of 
their long toes the frogs or fishes that may be lurking in such 
places. Timid and cowardly to a great degree, the smallest 
Hawk will turn their flight and often master them, though capable 
of inflicting a dangerous blow with their powerful beak. They 
build in companies in high trees, laying about four eggs. The 
parents are, to a proverb, tender of their offspring, and carefully 
provide for them during the long time that they require their 
assistance. Their voice is loud, hoarse, and monotonous, and 
heard chiefly at night, when most of them are in motion. Theii 
flight is full of grace, and is performed with the neck bent 
backwards, and the head resting against the back. 
The numerous species of this genus are dispersed ovei all 
climates and countries, excepting the very coldest. In no group 
does the size vary to the same extent, as is exemplified in the 
American species by the gigantic Jlrdea herodias and diminutive 
Jlrdea exilis. 
