ZOOLOGICAL DEPARTMENT. 239 



nests in May, in tall trees, near marshes; "sticks in nests sometimes one inch 

 in diameter and five feet long'' (Prof. J. W. Simmons); Dr. W. C. Brownell 

 knows of three heronries near Morrice, Shiawassee County. He says the stench 

 is terrible at nesting time. There are often six nests in a tree. The trees, he 

 says, are sure to die; eggs four to six, blue; S. E White took three nests with 

 five, one with six and one with seven eggs from one tree. May 2, 1881. There 

 was a large heronry just west of Lansing for years. The nests, which were 

 numerous, were in large sycamores which stood in a large marsh. I secured 

 several birds and eggs from this place. Dr. Steere reports heronries in black ash 

 swamps about Ann Arbor. "Heronries are quite common in Southwestern Mich- 

 igan. The birds fish three times daily. I have taken thirty-five minnows, from 

 two to four inches long, from the stomach of one of these birds " (J. W. Sim- 

 mons). C. B. Cook took a fish that was twelve inches long and weighed over 

 one pound from the stomach of a Heron. These birds are often very fearless. 

 I have often walked within a rod or two of a bird before it would fly; "occas- 

 ionally seen near Port Sanilac. There is a Heronry south of Marlette in this, 

 Sanilac, County" (W. A. Oldfield). 



82-196 (658). Ardea egretta Gmel. American Egret; Great White Heron; 

 Great White Egret. 



Very rare; wanderer from the south; A. H. Boies reports it from Lenawee, 

 Hillsdale, St. Joseph and Jackson Counties; Jerome Trombley reports it from 

 Monroe Co., where he took one in 1889; " occasionally abundant in July and 

 August, undoubtedly breeds in the state, but where? '" (Dr. M. Gibbs); " Mr. E. 

 W. Griffin took three from a flock of twenty at Albion in the fall of 1885, 

 which are now in the Albion College museum" (O. B. Warren); "quite common 

 in late summer in Wayne County, where they are taken half grown, but who 

 knows where they breed? " (Dr. W. C. Brownell); we had one in our museum 

 taken from Jackson Co.; one taken by J. B. Purdy at Plymouth and now in his 

 cabinet; two taken at Greenville, Montcalm Co., in 1890 by Prof. James Satter- 

 lee; Dr. Atkins does not mention this bird; " breeds in Northern Wisconsin and 

 without doubt in the Northern Peninsula of Michigan ' (Prof. Ludwig Kumlein); 

 doubtless breeds in Northern Indiana (Butler's Birds of Indiana); this species is 

 given in Sager's list of 1839. There is a fine specimen in the collection of Mr. 

 Levi Broas, taken in Ionia County. 



83-197-(659). Ardea candidissima Omel. Snowy Heron; Little White Egret. 



Very rare; wanderer from the south; "a rare accidental visitor during July 

 and August, does not breed" (Dr. M. Gibbs). 



84-199-(660). Ardea tricolor riiiicollis Gosse. Louisiana Heron; Louisiana 

 Egret; Lady of the Waters. 



Exceedingly rare; summer wanderer from the south; one specimen reported by 

 E. L. Moseley in the catalogue of the Kent Scientific Institute at Grand Rapids; 

 one reported by A. H. Boies from Lenawee Co.; one reported from Northern 

 Indiana (Butler's Birds of Indiana); Dr. M. Gibbs thinks this bird should be 

 omitted from the list. 



