KORTH AMERICAN MARSH BIRDS 159 



herons, reddish egrets, and Louisiana herons; the nests were on the 

 tops of the thickly matted bushes and in the small trees; the bushes 

 were also full of nests great-tailed grackles, some of which were also 

 placed in the bases of the Ward herons' nests. The next day we 

 ran up to the head of the bay to visit the great Wolf Point rookery, 

 where we found a few reddish egrets breeding with thousands of 

 Louisiana herons and lesser numbers of snowy egrets, Ward and 

 black-crowned night herons. A very few reddish egrets were also 

 seen in a large mixed rookery of the same species on Rose's Point, in 

 La Vaca Bay, on May 12; this was in a dense and extensive forest 

 of mesquite and huisache and the nests were mostly 10 or 15 feet 

 from the ground. Both of these rookeries were also overrun with 

 great-tailed grackles, which must destroy large numbers of eggs. 



But when we reached the chain of islands between Mesquite and 

 San Antonio Bays, on May 16, wo really began to see reddish egrets 

 in abundance. At least three of these islands were densely popula- 

 ted with large breeding colonies of herons; reddish egrets and Louis- 

 ian herons were the most abundant; Ward herons were common ; there 

 were a few black-crowned night herons ; and on one island there was 

 a little group of half a dozen nests of American egrets and numerous 

 snowy egrets were scattered among the other species. As if to add 

 color to the scene, a large flock of roseate spoonbills, with a few cor- 

 morants as companions, frequented the islands, flying from one island 

 to another and refusing to leave the chain. These islands were all 

 small, low, shell reefs, inclosing flat marshy areas and surrounded by 

 shallow muddy water; the drier portions supported a growth of low 

 willows, huisache and other thorny bushes, sunflowers, prickly pear 

 cactus, and a few Spanish daggers ; the marshy portions, which were 

 partially covered ^vith water, were thickly overgrown with low bushes, 

 grasses and rank herbage. Most of the reddish egrets nests were in 

 the low bushes or on the thick growth of rank herbage, many of them 

 in the wet places, with water under them; many nests were on the 

 ground in the grass or herbage and some were in the clumps of sun- 

 flowers. They were usually between 2 and 3 feet above the ground 

 or water and were often so close together that it was difficult to find 

 room to set up a blind among them. The nests were well made of 

 sticks and twigs, and were smoothly lined with finer twigs, rootlets, 

 straws, and grasses. Nearly all of the nests contained the usual thrbe 

 eggs, but in a few nests we found newly hatched young. 



Big Bird Island in Laguna Madre, with its wonderful colonies of 

 skimmers, terns, gulls, pelicans, and herons, has been well written up 

 and illustrated, for it contains one of the most interesting collections 

 of breeding birds in North America. The pelican colony, mostly 

 brown pelicans but sometimes a few of the big white pelicans, is 



