1865.] NOTES ON THE NIGHT-HERON. 55 



approached, they rise in the air with a great uproar, and watch the 

 intruder, but take care to keep at a respectful distance. No sooner 

 has night set in, than, leaving their roosts, they scatter along the 

 shore or around the marsh in search of food. This consists 

 chiefly of small fish, water and marsh insects, and reptiles — 

 as water-newts, lizards, and small frogs. Their flesh, though sel- 

 dom forming a table-dish in Canada, is esteemed excellent, haying 

 the flavor of the hare. We hope, however, that these birds may 

 long continue to breed in our midst, and quietly accomplish their 

 useful mission of keeping down the undue increase of injurious 

 reptiles, protected by naturalists, and undisturbed by pot-hunters. 



Let us now look at its variety— if variety it be — occurring in 

 Europe. Our American bird, as we have before noted, is from 

 twenty-six to twenty-eight inches in length. In India, we find that 

 what we suppose to be the same species is only twenty-four inches in 

 length ; while in Europe it measures only twenty- two inches. Look- 

 ing at the habits of this bird in these different places, we note, that 

 in America it chooses, whenever possible, lofty trees to build upon, 

 and these always near good feeding-grounds. In India and in 

 Europe however, where marshes are not bordered by such trees, 

 the heron at once selects either a small tree or bush for its nest, 

 and in many cases even builds on the ground. 



How then are these differences in size and habits to be 

 accounted for, if we maintain that the herons found in these 

 different places are of one species ? From observing the 

 habits of these birds, we have come to the conclusion that the 

 heron, in fixing upon its breeding-ground, is chiefly influenced 

 by the suitableness of the locality for its favorite food. Rarely 

 do we find heronries at any great distance from good feed- 

 ing-grounds. Is it out of the way, then, that we should 

 find this bird, where there are no trees, choosing a bush or 

 even the ground? We should not infer, because it builds 

 in a bush or on the ground, that this is its natural habit, but 

 rather a turning out of its regular course so as to be within 

 easy reach of its food. This circumstance explains, w e 

 believe, not only the slight difference in habit, but also the 

 diversity in size. For we would ask, where are these birds most 

 at home? Where may observers note their natural habits? 

 We have seen that the night-heron of America is larger 

 than that of Europe or of India ; that in America they build 

 and breed together in large companies, and always choose lofty 



