154 BULLETIN 135, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



accomplished by Mr. Mcllhenny (1912) at Avery Island, La., as 

 explained in his pamphlet. Near his home ''was a wet spot of a 

 couple of acres between the hills," known as a Willow Pond, which 

 "was partly covered with willow, buttonwood, and other water-loving 

 trees, marsh grasses, and ferns. In the trees and grass about this 

 pond each spring a few green herons and least bitterns nested." 

 With the idea of inducing other water birds to nest here and in the 

 hope of saving a few of the remaining snowy egrets, he had a small 

 dam built which raised the water level a couple of feet. In the 

 spring of 1895 he hunted up two nests of snowy egrets and took the 

 eight young birds from them, just before they were large enough to 

 fly, and put them in a large wire cage on the edge of his pond. They 

 became very tame, but, when liberated in November, they finally 

 migrated south. Six of these birds returned the following March, 

 two pairs mated and they raised four young to each pair. Thirteen 

 healthy birds went south that fall and all returned the next spring. 

 Five pairs nested that year, raising 20 young. And so they kept on 

 increasing year after year and other species joined the flourishing 

 colony, until now its inhabitants number many thousands. "The 

 nesting water and marsh birds now include snowy heron, Louisiana 

 heron, American egret, little blue heron, green heron, yellow crowned 

 night heron, purple gallinule, Florida gallinule, American bittern, 

 least bittern. King rail, anhinga, wood duck, blue wing teal, gadwall, 

 and mallard." This has proven to be one of the most remarkable 

 and most successful experiments in conservation of which we have 

 any record in this country. It demonstrates what can be done under 

 intelligent supervision and illustrates the great recuperative powers 

 of wild life under favorable circumstances. 



DISTRIBUTION 



Range. — From southern South America, north through Central 

 America, the West Indies, and the United States to southern Canada. 



Breeding range. — South America, Central America, and southern 

 and western United States. North to California (Dos Palos) ; Utah 

 (mouth of Bear River) ; Nebraska (Lincoln) ; Illinois (25 miles above 

 Peoria) ; Indiana (Mount Carmel and Swan Pond) ; Long Island, New 

 York (Sayville); and New Jersey (7-mile Beach and Cape May). 

 East to New Jersey (7-mile Beach and Cape May) ; Virginia (Cobb's 

 Island, Mochorn Island, and probably Back Bay); North Carolina 

 (Pea Island and Orton); South Carolina (Washoe Reserve on the 

 Santee River, Mount Pleasant, Buzzard's Island, and Frogmore); 

 Georgia (Savannah, Darien, and St. Mary's); Florida (Braddock 

 Lake, Ocklawaha River, Mosquito Inlet, Pehcan Island, Brevard 

 County, Hillsboro River, and Cape Sable) ; Cuba (Isle of Pines and 



