NOETH AMEEICAN MARSH BIRDS 95 



dangerously near and I brought down one with each barrel, a fine 

 pair of adult birds. But that was my last chance — they were too 

 wary to return that day. 



We found similar localities on other islands which proved equally 

 attractive as roosting or nesting places for these herons and to which 

 they seemed equally attached; and it was only in such places that 

 we succeeded in securing any specimens. They are certainly the 

 shyest of all the herons and are in no danger of extermination. 



Nesting. — Scattering nests of great white or Ward herons were found 

 on many of the larger keys or islands; most of them were empty, how- 

 ever, and so not identified. Only once, on April 29, 1903, did we find 

 anything approaching a colony. This was on one of the Oyster Keys, 

 a small mangrove key having a little dry land in the center on which 

 a few black mangroves were growing with a dense thicket of under- 

 brush, vines and small trees; it was surrounded by a broad belt of 

 large red mangroves stretching away out into the water which was 

 nearly waist deep under some of the trees. 



We had seen the great white herons fly away as we approached, 

 but not one came near us while we were in the rookery, though a 

 Vfard heron, which had a nest with j^oung, frequently came within 

 gunshot. Besides several empty nests scattered about the island, 

 from which the young had probably flown, we found a Httle colony 

 of four occupied nests of the great white heron and one of the Ward 

 heron, all of which were grouped about a little inlet in rather large 

 red mangroves. A nest, containing two addled eggs and one young 

 bird recently hatched, was placed on the outer branches overhang- 

 ing the center of the inlet; it was a large, flat, well-made structure 

 of large sticks firmly interwoven, measuring 35 inches by 25 inches 

 externally; the inner cavity measured about 15 inches in diameter and 

 was smoothly lined with small twigs and dry mangrove leaves; the 

 young bird, which was scarcely able to hold up its head, was scantily 

 covered with white filamentous down. The young of this species 

 are always pure white at all ages, by which they can be easily dis- 

 tinguished from the gray young of the Ward heron. Another nest, 

 15 feet from the ground in a red mangrove, contained two young 

 birds about one-quarter grown and one egg; the young were covered 

 with white down and hairlike feathers. Within a few yards of the 

 first nest, across an open space in the inlet, were two more nests. 

 One of these was about 12 feet above the water on the extremity of 

 a red mangrove branch and was similar in size and construction to 

 the first; it contained three very lively young birds, about half grown 

 and well covered witli white down and feathers; they protested vig- 

 orously at my intrusion, bristling up their plumage, squawking, snap- 

 ping their bills and striking at anything within reach while their 

 throats were vibrating as if panting from fear or excitement. Tlie 



