208 BULLETIN 135, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



Dr. Alexander Wetmore (1920) observed that, at Lake Burford^ 

 New Mexico, the night herons fed on waterdogs (Amhy stoma) and 

 frogs, where they acted as scavengers by eating the dead Axolotls 

 which they found floating on the water. Doctor Gross (1923) says: 



The remains of animals in the food which could be identified comprised marine- 

 annelids, chiefly Nereis virens, crustaceans, represented by numerous shrimp,, 

 sand-hoppers, and a few small crabs; insects, chiefly beetles, flies, and dragon-fly 

 nymphs, all present in negligible quantities. 



Of the mollusks he found only squids, which were probably picked! 

 up dead; and the only fresh water animals found were tadpoles and 

 adults of Fowler's toad. Oscar E. Baynard (1912) found that 50' 

 meals of young night herons in Florida consisted of GO crayfish, 610 

 small catfish, 31 small pickerel, and 79 dragon flies. B-. P. Sharples^ 

 wrote me that he found in the stomachs of this species a frog and a 

 snake about a foot long. Other observers have also noted crabs, 

 lizards, salamanders, leeches, moths, and even mice. Doctor Gross 

 (1923) refers to a case, reported by Mr. S. F. Denton, "in which a 

 partly fledged young swallowed a downy nestling which had been, 

 placed in the same cage." Referring to vegetable food, which is sel- 

 dom eaten, he cites authorities to show that sea lettuce, algae, and 

 similar aquatic plants are sometimes eaten and fed to the young. 



Behavior. — The flight of the night heron is ver}^ different from that 

 of the other herons; in flight and in appearance on the wing it is 

 more like a gull than a heron. It holds itself much like a gull or a- 

 crow; its neck is shortened, but not folded back in true heron fash- 

 ion; and its appearance is that of a short, stout bird. Its flight is 

 strong, direct, and swifter than that of other herons, with usually 

 quicker wing strokes. Sometimes it flies with the graceful ease of a 

 large gull and sometimes it soars or scales almost as well as a hawk; 

 often it sets its wings and scales down into the tree tops or onto the- 

 ground. When not too busy with its search for food, it spends much 

 time, especially during the middle of the day, in idleness, perched on 

 some tree or on the shore in its characteristic pose, a short necked,, 

 round shouldered bird. Its periods of greatest activity are from 

 dawn till sunrise and from a little before sunset until after darkness 

 has settled; but it is never quiet, day or night, in a night heron 

 rookery. 



The characteristic note of the night heron is well expressed in its 

 popular names. Doctor Gross (1923) notes variations which may be 

 crudely represented by "Qua," "Qaak," "QuarJc," or "Squawk." 

 He has described the varied vocabulary of the species so well, that 

 I can not do better than to quote his words, as follows: 



When one approaches the colony he invariably disturbs first the outpost sen- 

 tinels who seem ever ready to give a warning note which sounds like, " Woe, woe,, 

 woek! a-woe, woe, woe." This call usually results in a number of herons rising 



