characteristic mark should fall us, it is still n'o reason why the
group ; is not natural which it; has hitherto! been believed to
represent. A minute peculiarity miay furnish a most useful though
artificial-généric or specific character, while an apparently important
and evidently natural one may.be of nô usé for this purpose.
In our system the family JLrdeidæ is composed e|f -nine genera, of
whfeh none is subdivided except JUrdea itself, which with- Cieonia
are all that are strictly typioal. Besides the more direct relations*
this family is conneeted with the Ràilidæ by the curious Afeougli
anomalous COurlan, also allied to the Gruinæ by its feet, as well
as to the Scolopacidæ. But to these the genus Eurypyga forms a
very strongly marked àhd still better passage. A t the same time
the Platalm, which ié’-its-feet ahowsthe transition to Phoenieap*
teridæ, and by*its curiously flattened bill stands alone, isyso similar
in internal conformation, andaespeciaHy the sternal apparatus to
the genus Ibis that they ought in' this respect to go ^together ;
though Tantalus, One of the Jtbidæ, is constructed rather upon the
osseous plan of theJlrdeidæ! Seopus, Jlnastomus, Çdnehf&fna,:%Tiâ.
even Dramas to a minor ,|§xtenty; each and all exhibit striking
anomalies in their bills, so that Jlrdea and Cieonia are the only two
typical genera with%harp-pointed bills of the whole group. In
order to comprehend alltbllfe'forms of b ills,it becomes npeesBj&ry
to restrict greatly the physical characters of the family, afflffiwe
cap merely observe that in the jUrdeidæ the bill, whateverdae its
form, is longer than the head, very robust, and almost always
sharp, with cutting edges. The neek is long. The feet long, and
always four-toed» the hind toe-strong and well developed ; - the
tarsus is longer than the middle toe, and toes and nails both are
also long. The wings are of moderate length, and obtuse. The
tail is never long, nor otherwise remarkable,, and consists of
twelve, Or only of ten feathers.
There is no marked external difference between the sexes, but
the." young vary greatly from the- adults, and do not .gain their
complete plùmage till their third year.
' In habits ' and internal conformation' these birds are all much
more alike ,thap. m external. They have all a grave, deliberate,
and well poised gait; their flight is-'slow» though light and Ole*
vated, and they,, stretch back their legs like sticks in flying, even
more so than other Waders. They are faithfully monogamous in
. their than those of
aquatic b ird s‘generally, being placed-, in trees,., thickets, aqüatic
grasses, and séçae of the species, half« do0iestiea4ed, evfli. nestle
on housetops:: the female; incubâtes;, while ■
watches, and supplies, her with food- Both unit© in»nurying and
rearing their ,young, which remain in the nest until .they are full-
fledged. The flesh of theSe Waders h quke unpalatahje. :
Thé genus Jlrdea, When., disembarrassed of the several, species
forced into it fcyA ancient authors, is a very , natural '©hé,
differing from the . Storks jay having the inner -toe cleft, whilst
they have all ,the' toesf semipalmated at base : the Storks also
have the tarsi reticulated, and t ^ nnddle toemail entire» whilst.
the Herons have • thé ■ former scutellated and* the latter toothed
like a saw, to assist in seizing and securing their slippery prey.
A; peculiarity of th e . Herons, in .yfhfch they not .only differ
from the Storks, hut .from all other birds, is found- in theijr
. anatomy :,they have but one' c&eum,-like quadrupeds» while-other
birds have two. The gei»s ^-ded*is adm^eà. by all autho»,
though some modelai writers have Cut. It up injo. several, which
we employ, as * subgenefa, Or groups of still mjnor.amportaBC©.
Generally divided into three, and by Boic into five»: they might
with the same propjiety be carried. ; to *seVen or eight ; we recognise
no more than three,-, comprising eight secondary- groups.
Thç first,- which we call more properly Heron, («Srcfea,) is well
distinguished by its long and, slender neck', all well clothed with
von», iv.-^c e.?.: