Ardea Grus , or Crane, have been long celebrated for the extent of their migrations, and the
regular order in which they conduft their movements. The r e is fo great a fimilitude between
fome of the Ardese as to make it difficult to diftinguiih them, though really different: this is
particularly the cafe with refpeft to fome of the fmaller kinds, of which feveral are found to
be extremely nearly allied to each other. T h e fpecies here figured is one of thefe: in general
appearance it very much refembles fome varieties of the Ardea minuta of Linnaeus, or fmall
Bittern: the prevailing colour in the prefent bird is brown, the larger feathers of the wings
being of a much deeper caft than the other parts, or nearly approaching to black: the crown
of the head is black, and the feathers are very ilighdy elongated, fo as almoft to make an approach
to creft: on each fide the head is an oblong patch of ferruginous brown: the fides of
the breaft are ftrongly undulated, or rather fcolloped with black and white, while at the lower
part of the breaft or upper part of the abdomen the mixture of black and white ceales, and a
broad patch of black is formed: the bill is brown: the lores or fpaces between the bill and
eye on each fide are pale yel low: the throat white, minutely fpotted with bl a ck: the neck,
lower part of the belly, thighs, and vent, are of a yellowifb while: the legs yel low: the claw^s
black. Thi s bird is a native of South America.