Vak'a .
Le Eu tor de laBaye d’Hudfon, Brif. Orn. v. p. 449. 2;.— Buf. 6 if vit. p. 430,
Bittern from Hudfon’s Bay, Eduu. pi. 136.— Phil. Tran/, vol. lxii. p. 4.10.
D e s c r i p t io n . * j s FI IS is fmaller than the common Bittern, arid is two feet three
inches in length : it is very like that in all refpéâs ; but the
ground colour is darker, moré inclined to brown, and the bill
longer than in our fpecies.
P l a c e and
M anne r s .
This inhabits Hudfon’s Bay, and appears a mere variety of
ours. It appears at Severn River the beginning of June, and
makes the neft in the fwamps, laying four cinereous green eggs.
The neft is compofed of water plants, placed on fomé dry fpót
among the long grafs. The young are at firft black. Départs
in OElober. Said to be delicate bating. The natives call it
Mokoho/ue.
iS.
GREATER B.
Le grand Butor, Brif. Orn. v. p. 455. 28.— Buf. Oif. vii. 422.
Greater fpeckled, or red Heron, R'aii Sjn. p. 100. 13.— Will. Orn. p. 283;
D e s c r i p t io n. >jp H IS is confiderably bigger than the common Bittern : length
three feet nine inches. Bill eight inches long, and yellow-
ifh : irides yellow : lore, and fpace round the eye, naked arid yellow:
feathers of the head black, and pretty long : the upper part
of the neck and body, wings and tail, cinereous browri : tides
of the neck rufous, marked with a ftreak of black : tliroat
and fore part of the neck white, daftied with black, and rufous-
white ftreaks : feathers on the breaft long and pendent : the colour
of the under parts of thé body rufous: fcdpOlars the fame,
and very narrow : thighs white : legs brown.
Found
H JE R O N . 59
Found in the marlhes of Italy, and in fome parts known by
the name of Ruffey*. Said alfo to inhabit AJlracban during the
fummer feafon -f. '
Place.
Ardea botaurus major, N . C. Petr. xv. p. 482. N” 22. t. 24. ( Gmelin. )
18.
Var. A.
T EN G TH four feet fix inches. Bill yellow : eye-lids naked, of
a yellowilh blue: irides faffron-colour: head black, and
crefted : temples yellow, partly dotted with black : head beneath
white: neck chefnut, marked with three narrow longitudinal
bands of black •, the lower part chefnut, fpotted with black, and
black and white : back of a deep alh-colour; the feathers on
the lowed: part long, broad, and red j the longeft white at the
ends : tump grey brown : under parts of the body black and red
mixed: wing coverts cinereous j fome of the feathers tipped
with yellowilh: edge of the wing ferruginous : quills and tail
black: thighs chefnut: legs reddilh brown: claws pale brown j
middle one ferrated within.
Description.
This fpecies, if diftind from the laft-defcribed, is found at
AJlrachan in May, migrating from the fouth. It lays three
fmooth plain green eggs, the fize of thofe of a Hen 5 and is
found in the marlhes, where the other Herons refort.
* Aldronj. Am. iii. p. 408.—'This author fufpect: it to be a mixed breed between
the common Heron and Bittern.
f Dec. Ruff. ii. p. 146,
Place.
1 st U