The wild Ornithology of the Steppes comprises some migratory palmipedes, a few gallinaceæ, and some predatory birds of the falcon family. Gulls, wild ducks, herons, curlews, and especially pelicans, people the shores of the Black Sea, the Sea of Azov, and the Caspian, with the banks of the rivers that flow into them, and the neighbouring pools. The Cossack and Kalmük chiefs, who now ardently cherish the love of falconry that was so marked a trait in the character of the mediæval nobles, hunt these birds with much enthusiasm, save, indeed, the pelican, whose flesh is not edible. The _herons_ form, in the order _Grallatores_ and the tribe _Cultirostres_ (knife-like beak), a family (_Ardeidæ_) composed of numerous species, several of which inhabit or frequent the marshes, lakes, and streams of the region of the Steppes. "O'er yonder lake the while, What bird about that wooded isle, With pendant feet and pinions slow, Is seen his ponderous length to row? 'Tis the tall heron's awkward flight, His crest of black, and neck of white, Far sunk his gray-blue wings between, And giant legs of murky green."[31] The most remarkable species is the great white heron (_Ardea alba_), or yellow-billed white egret, clothed in plumage of snowy white, with a long yellow bill, long lank limbs, and black feet; length about forty inches. On the nape and the croup his feathers are long and flexible, wavy, and with tapering ends; they are eagerly sought after for purposes of adornment. We may also mention the great bittern, the "bird of desolation" (_Botauris stellaris_)--which the French expressively name _eau-mère_, or "water-mother," and which derives its zoological appellation from the Latin words _bos_ and _taureau_, in allusion to the booming, bellowing sound of his hoarse voice. His plumage is of a pale yellow, marked with brown and nest-coloured zig-zag patches and shades. From the fulness of the feathers about his neck, he presents a very quaint, and even ridiculous appearance; but he is a bird of courage, and even of ferocity, striking with keen bill at the eyes of his antagonist. When attacked by dogs or other carnivora, he will throw himself upon the ground, and fight with both claws and bill unto the very last. [Illustration: 1. Great Bittern. 2. White Heron or Egret. 3. Curlew.]