54 BIRDS 



with a return of the stolen building material and a little 

 bit more. 



The young birds in most of the nests were large 

 enough to tumble out and waddle in an awkward way 

 to the yard next door and beg to be fed by the first old 

 bird returning. These visitors were quickly repri- 

 manded and sent home squawking to their parents. 



The big birds become, under the parental feeling, 

 very tame and permit of a close approach during the 

 period of feeding and caring for their young. 



When the parent bird arrives from the fishing 

 grounds and drops down by the nest with extended wings 

 and dangling feet the young birds at once begin their 

 pleading to be fed by pecking at the old birds' breasts 

 and bill, all the while making a noise such as can be made 

 by a young Pelican, only. The parent bird, with its strong 

 bill drooping on its breast, and its large yellow eyes look- 

 ing nowhere in particular, yet everywhere, seems to say 

 by its stoical attitude, ''Just you wait a minute." But 

 all the while the young bird keeps up its persistent 

 pleading. 



When the psychological moment arrives the parent 

 bird raises the upper mandible and the young, their 

 necks stretched to their fullest and bills extended, fight 

 for first choice, shoving each other as they push their 

 bills, heads and even part of their necks through the old 

 bird's mouth into the "dinner pail" and proceed to help 

 themselves to the partly digested fish. 



This scene was being enacted all around me the 

 whole time I was an observing, photographing and re- 

 cording visitor to the large nursery of the Brown Peli- 

 cans. 



One of the rare birds of our southern shoreline is 

 the Reddish Egret. (Fig. 10.) I was fortunate in find- 

 ing a few of this species nesting on the island. They 

 may easily be mistaken for the Little Blue Heron, as 

 their general size, color and habits are similar to those 

 of this Heron, but the color of the bill and the reddish 

 ruffled neck of the Reddish Egret is different. This bird 

 was frequently seen in company with the Louisiana and 

 Little Blue Herons; on approach, however, the latter 

 were sure to remain for a short period after the former 

 had flown away. Their nests were on the ground and 



