Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume VIII.djvu/709

 HERON 691 lower the sj green f 6 ft., and the bill 5 in. with a gape of ty. e color above is bluish ash, with the edges wings and tibiae rufous ; neck cinnamon brown, head black, frontal patch white ; below black, with broad white streaks on the belly ; lower tail coverts white, middle line of throat e same with black and rufous streaks; bill ish above, dusky yellow at the base ; the quills black, and the tail bluish slate. There is considerable variation in size and plumage, according to age and habitat. It is found throughout the United States and the West In- dies, but most abundantly in the low lands bor- dering on the Atlantic coast. It is one of the hardiest of the family, bearing the cold of a Few England winter ; it is exceedingly diffi- cult to approach, from the acuteness of its earing and vision, except in close woods ; it at all hours of the day, and even in clear March to the middle of June, according to Great White Heron (Ardea occidentals). ititude ; during the love season they associate . pairs, being rather solitary at all other times ; iveral pairs sometimes form a community, in svamps, pine barrens, and localities several liles from water, but especially in the vicinity rice fields, and in the tops of cypress trees, eggs, three in number, are 2 by 1 in., of dull bluish white; the male and female sit Iternately, feeding each other, and are remark- ibly affectionate to the young; the flesh ^ of )f fish, reptiles, birds, small quadrupeds, and arge insects; it strikes its prey through the body, as near the head as possible, killing often by beating it against the ground ; it is exceed- ' igly voracious. This bird is capable of inflict- )g severe wounds with its bill, the more dangerous that it generally aims at the eyes ; it "ms been seen to chase the fish hawk, and force it to yield up its prey. The flight is high, ma- jestic, and long sustained. The weight of a ~ 11-grown bird is from 6 to 8 Ibs. ; the intes- tine is about 9 ft. long, not thicker than a swan's quill. The great white heron (A. occi- dentalis, Aud.) is more than 4 ft. long, with an extent of wings of nearly 7 ; the bill 6 in. ; the weight about 7 Ibs. The color is pure white ; the lengthened occipital feathers do not form a crest. It is found in southern Florida and in Cuba. This is the largest of the herons, and has the purest white plumage. It is very shy, breeding among the keys on the Florida coast, to which it resorts year after year ; two nests are rarely seen near each other, though nests of other species are .often >n the same bush ; it begins to lay about the 1st of February. It lays three eggs, 2f by If in., thick-shelled, of a plain light bluish green ; both sexes incu- bate, for about 30 days. It is more solitary than the preceding species, except on the feed- ing grounds ; the walk is majestic, and the flight firm and regular ; the sand bars and flats on which they feed are often far from their roosting places, and are rarely left until the water reaches as high as their body ; the posi- tion, when roosting, is generally on one foot. There is a great enmity between this and the preceding species, and the former will pursue, kill, and swallow the young of the latter when- ever an opportunity offers, even though other favorite food be in abundance. The blue heron (A. camled, Linn. ; genus florida, Baird) is 22 in. long, with an extent of wings of 33 ; the bill is about 3 in., and the weight 9 oz. The bill is blue, slender, and very sharp ; the pre- vailing tint of the bird is slate blue, with the head and neck bluish purple; legs black; the young are white, sometimes spotted with blue. The top of the head is moderately crested, and the scapulars greatly elongated. It is found in the southern Atlantic states and about the gulf of Mexico, and has been seen in New York ; it associates with the white and Louisiana her- ons, roosting in the evergreens of the keys ; it is very shy, and its flight is swifter than that of any except the A. Ludomciana. The eggs are If by 1J- in., of the same color as those of the snowy heron. The green heron has been alluded to under BITTERN. The sun herons of the warmer parts of South America belong to the genus eurypyga (Illiger), characterized by a long, slender, straight bill, bent and emargin- ated at the tip ; long and ample wings ; long, broad, and slightly rounded tail. The best known species (E. helias, Pall.) is about as large as a small grouse, with a long, thin neck, spread- ing tail, and comparatively short legs ; the plu- mage is varied with bands and lines of brown, fulvous red, gray, and black, resembling the dis- tribution of colors on some of the larger moths ; it feeds on small fry and aquatic insects. It is called "little peacock " in Cayenne ; its habits resemble those of the snipes more than of the herons. (See NIGHT HERON.) HERON, or Hero (Gr. "B.puv), a philosopher and mathematician of Alexandria, who flour- ished in the latter part of the 3d century B. C. He"was the inventor of several ingenious ma-
 * hts. It begins to breed from the beginning
 * he young is tolerably good. Its food consists