Lewis: August 2, 1804

August 2ed 1804. This day one of our Hunters brought me a white Heron.
this bird as an inhabitant of ponds and Marasses, and feeds upon tadpoles,
frogs, small fish &cthey are common to the Mississipi and the
lower part of the ohio River, (ie) as high as the falls of that river.

this bird weighed two lbs.it’s plumage is perfectly white and very
thin

F I. from extremity of beak to the extremity of toe 4 71/4 from tipp to
tip of wing on the back 4 11

it’s beak is yellow pointed, flated crosswise and 5 Inches in length from
the upper region of the bill to the eye is one inch in length, covered
with a smoth yellow skin the plumage of the head projecting towards the
upper bill and coming to a point a an Inch beyond the eyes on the center
of the upper bill. The mouth opens to distance of the eyesThe eye
is full and projecting reather, it is 7/10 of half an inch. four joints in
the wing

Inches 1st joint from body in length 6 2ed Do. 81/4 3rd Do. 31/2 4th Do. 1
1st joint Number of feathers 7 Length of 3 2nd 18 6 3 6 from 10 to 12 4th
5 12

it’s legs are blackthe neck and beak occupy 1/2 it’s length. it has
four toes on a footthe outer toe on the right foot is from the
joining of the leg to extremity of toe nale 4 Inch & 1/4 has four
joints exclusive of the nail jointthe next is 43/4 inches has three
joints exclusive of the nale joint. the next is 33/4 and has two joints,
the heel toe has one joint only and is 3 Inches in length. the nails are
long sharp and blackthe eye is of a deep seagreen colour, with a
circle of of pale yellow around the sight forming a border to the outer
part of the eye of about half the width of the whole eye. the tale has 12
feathers of six inches in length.the wings when folded are the same
length with the tale.

has 2 remarkable tufts of long feathers on each side joining the body at
the upper joint of the wing. these cover the feathers of the 1st joint of
the wings when they are over extended