liis actiuus III till- n-iif. t . Win I am certain that when (hslurhed during,' dark 

 nights it ftfls hcwildt-rcd and ahghts as soon as possible. When jjassing from 

 one pari of the country to another at a (hstance the case is dilTerent. and on 

 such occasions they fly at night high above the trees, continuini,' their movements 

 in a regular manner. 



1 he crjnimcncement of the nesting season ni the Circat Blue Heron varies 

 according to the latitude, from the beginning of March to the middle of June. 

 In I'lorida it takes place about the first of these periods, in the middle States 

 about the 15th of May, and in Maine a month later. 



It is at the approach of this period only that these birds associate in pairs, 

 they being gejicrally quite solitary at all other times. E.xcept during the nesting 

 season each individual seems to secure for itself a certain district as a feeding 

 ground, giving chase to every intruder of its own species. At such times they 

 also repose singly, for the most part roosting on trees, although sometimes taking 

 their station on the ground in the midst of a wide marsh, so that they may be 

 secure from the approach of man. This unsocial temper pro1)ably arises from 

 the desire of securing a certain abundance of food, of which each bird requires a 

 large quantity. 



The nest of the Blue Heron is large and Hat, externally composed of dry 

 sticks and matted with weeds and mosses to a considerable thickness. \\ hen 

 the trees are large and convenient you may see several nests on the same tree. 

 Three eggs are laid in the nest. They are very small compared with the size of 

 the bird, measuring only two and a half by one and a half inches. They are of 

 a dull bluish white color, without spots, and of a regular oval form. 



The male and female sit alternately, receiving food from each other, their 

 mutual affection being as great as it is toward their young, which are provided 

 for so abundantly that it is not uncommon to find the nest containing a surplus 

 of fish and other food. 



As the young grow older they are less frequently fed, although still as 

 copiously supplied whenever opportunity offers. But now and then I have 

 observed them, when the nests were low, calling for food in vain. The quantity 

 which they now require is so great that all the exertions of the old birds appear 

 at times to be insufficient to satisfy their voracious appetites. They do not pro- 

 vide for themselves until fully able to fly. when their parents chase them off and 

 force them to shift as they can. 



This species takes three years in attaining maturity, and even after that 

 period it still increases in size and weight. When just hatched the young birds 

 have a very uncouth appearance, the legs and neck being very long as well as 

 the bill. By the end of a week the head and neck are sparingly covered WMth 

 long tufts of silky down, of a dark gray color, and the body shows young 

 feathers, the quills large with soft blue sheaths. At the end of four weeks the 

 body and wings are well covered with feathers of a dark slate color, broadly 

 margined with brownish-red ; the bill has grown wonderfully, the legs are quite 



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