September, 1921.] 



-The Canadian Field-Naturalist. 



119 



these herons and during ttiat period about 

 twelve adult birds visited the tree wi' h food 





for the young". After feeding tlieiii they 

 would sometimes rest for five or ten 

 minutes before leaving again for their fisli- 

 ing grounds. Many of the young, which 

 I estimated to number from sixty to eighty, 

 constantly stood upriglit and exercised 

 their wings back and forth. Two other 

 nesting trees were close by and on these 

 also young birds Avere noticed. 



On June 13th the heronry was again 

 visited and another nest was found on 

 the ground. It contained three half- 

 groA\ai birds, all so badly fly-blown that 

 I w^as unable to preserve them. One bird 

 was weighed and scaled three pounds. Its 

 iris was pale lemon-yellow; lower mand- 

 ible yellow with upper edge dark horn 

 colour; upper mandible, dark; upper part 

 of tarsus sulphurous yellow with green isli 

 cast, the balance of tarsus and toes dull 

 bluish-grey; claws very dark. The l)ill 

 measured at culmen 3.00 in., at gap 4.56 

 in., tarsus 4.50 in. 

 I Several more photographs were taken. 

 'rHhirty-six nests could be seen distinctly, 

 /and these, with the three found on tlie 

 ground, made a total of thirty-nine nests 

 in this particular tree. On June 9th five 



dead birds were found, and on the 13th 

 another small one was located behind a 

 log; it had lieen dead for a long time and 

 was, no doubt, out of one of the two first 

 nests found. About thirty-five young 

 birds were in view on the 13th and careful 

 scrutiny failed to reveal more than three 

 birds in any one nest, the majority being 

 two to each nest, while a few held but a 

 single young lurd. A fair estimate would 

 place the number of adult breeding birds 

 at from fifty to sixty. The parent birds 

 who liunt for food along the shores (^f 

 Burrard Inlet, Kitsilano, Point Grey and 

 Sea and Lulu Islands only feed the young 

 at long intervals. 



A bald eagle was seen to approach the 

 nests, when suddenly many of the old 

 birds appeared from every direction and 

 (piickly drove away the unwelcome visitor. 



At the time of writing, July 23rd, many 

 of the young birds are flying, but return 

 every night to the nesting tree. Tliese 

 herons fly at all hours of the night, and I 

 very frequently hear them croaking to 

 one another between the hours of ten and 

 twelve at night, as they fly far overhead 

 towards the Park. 



Tlu^ Stanley Park Heronry has during 

 the past few weeks become one of the 

 points of interest in t>he Park, and hun- 

 dreds of residents of this city as well as 

 visitors now stop to have a look at the 

 curious bird colony, none of the members 

 of which appear to be in the least disturb- 

 ed, however many people gather about to 

 watch them. 



K. Racey, 3262 First Ave. W., 



Vancouver. 



BlPtl) CENSUS FROM LONDON, ONT. 



By E. M. S. Dale, 

 President, Mcllwraith Ornithological Club. 

 For some years our Club has sent in 

 reports to ihe "Bird /Lore" Christmas 

 census. The number of species observed 

 has increased from seven in 1910 untd now 

 a limit seems to have been reached of some 

 nineteen or twenty. This probably does 

 not indicate more birds here during recent 

 years, but rather growing efficiency on the 

 "part of a larger company of observers, 

 combined with inc: eased knowledge of the 

 localities most favored by the birds in 

 winter. It may be interesting to readers 

 of the Canadian Field Naturalist to com- 

 pare these lists which are annexed hereto 

 in tabulated form. 



