File:The birds of America - from drawings made in the United States and their territories (1840) (14565099338).jpg

Identifier: birdsofamericafr06audu (find matches)
Title: The birds of America : from drawings made in the United States and their territories
Year: 1840 (1840s)
Authors: Audubon, John James, 1785-1851 Bowen, John T., ca. 1801-1856?, lithographer
Subjects: Birds Birds
Publisher: New York : Published by J.J. Audubon Philadelphia : J.B. Chevalier
Contributing Library: Smithsonian Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library

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of the birds and of their eggs. Mr. Smiths sonshad killed, in the course of a couple of weeks, not less than fourteen of thesediminutive Herons. He describes the nest as flat, composed of pieces of dryrushes about a foot in length, and placed in a bunch of Juncus effusus. Theeggs were nearly white, with a very light tinge of blue. In an adult male preserved in spirits, the interior of the mouth is of thesame structure as in the other Herons; the tongue 1 inch 4 twelfths long,very slender, trigonal, tapering to a point. Width of mouth 5 twelfths.(Esophagus S inches long, its width at the upper part 1 inch 2 twelfths,gradually tapering to 8 twelfths, and within the thorax enlarged to 10twelfths. Belt of proventricular glandules ^ inch in breadth. Stomach large,1 inch in diameter, its tendons 3 twelfths in breadth, its walls extremely thin,being quite membranous. The contents are three small fishes, and remainsof others. Lobes of the liver unequal, the right li inches, the left 1 inch in
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2: GREEN HERON. 105 length; gall-bladder 8 twelfths long, 2\ twelfths in breadth. Intestine 2feet 9i inches long, § twelfth wide in the duodenal portion, graduallydiminishing to -J- twelfth; coecum a small knob nearly 1 twelfth long, and ofthe same breadth; rectum 2; inches long, and 2 twelfths in width; cloacaglobular, ^ inch in diameter. It forms 20 folds. Trachea 6 inches long, 1 twelfth in breadth; its rings 170, and 4 dimidiate.Bronchi very wide, of 12 rings. GREEN HERON. ^Ardea virescens, Linn.PLATE CCCLXVIL—Male and Young. This species is more generally known than any of our Herons, it beingvery extensively dispersed in spring, summer, and early autumn. It rangesalong our many rivers to great distances from the sea, being common on theMissouri and its branches, from which it spreads to all such localities as arefavourable to its habits. To the north of the United States, however, it isvery seldom seen, it being of rare occurrence even in Nova Scotia. At theapproach of winter

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