NOETH AMEEICAN MARSH BIRDS 213 



Egg dates. — Southern New England and New York: 55 records, 

 April 30 to July 19; 28 records, May 13 to 20. California: 30 rec- 

 ords, April 2 to July 15; 15 records, May 3 to 23. New Jersey and 

 Pennsylvania: 14 records, April 10 to June 12; 7 records, April 17 to 

 May 8. Florida: 6 records, March 1 to April 17. 



NYCTANASSA VIOLACEA (Linnaeus) 

 YELLOW -CROWNED NIGHT HERON 



HABITS 



This handsome and conspicuously marked heron has, always been 

 associated in my mind with the fresh-water swamps and bayous of 

 our tropical and semitropical regions, where the deadly mocassin 

 lurks under leafy shadows and the lazy alligator slumbers on muddy 

 banks. We found it in Florida in the extensive marshes of the upper 

 St. Johns, living with the Louisana and little blue herons on the willow 

 islands and on the borders of the big cypress swamps; there were 

 at least one or two pairs of these herons in nearly every rookery wc 

 visited. In Texas we found the yellow-crowned night heron common 

 in the swamp and bayou forests along the banks of the Guadalupe 

 River, in Victoria County. Its favorite haunts seemed to be in the 

 bayous and stagnant backwaters, where the stately cypress grows, 

 along with a heavy mixed forest of swamp tupelo, sweet and black 

 gums, water oak, magnolia, and various willows. I understand that it 

 lives under similar conditions in Louisiana and other Southern States. 



But it has been found living under strikingly different conditions 

 in other places. Mr. B. S. Bowdish (1902) "found it common on 

 Mona," an island near Porto Rico, which seemed rather remarkable, 

 as it is a dry, hot rock, with no sign of lagoon or swamp." Col. A. J. 

 Grayson (1871) found it on Socorro Island, one of the Revillagigedo 

 Islands, of which he writes: 



Upon this remote island, where there is a scarcity of fresh water, I was surprised 

 to find this well-known species. Here its natural haunts are entirely wanting. 

 Here there are no lagoons or mangrove swamps to skulk in during the day; 

 and the croaking of frogs, its favorite prey, is not heard. All is dry and desti- 

 tute of such localities suited to the nature of fresh-water birds. I saw solitary 

 ones in the daytime perched upon the rocks in the interior of the >land, and on 

 one or two occasions were started from the dry grass, where they were concealed. 

 Hardly a night passed that I did not hear the well-known quak of this heron as 

 they came to our spring to drink. From the appearance of the male bird on 

 examination and the presence of the young one shot they doubtless breed here 

 to some extent. 



E. W. Gifford (1913) found it along the shores of many of the 



Galapagos Islands, while on two of them it was seen in the interior 



as well. It frequented rocky and cliff-bound coasts, as well as those 



fringed with mangroves. On Tower Island, two or three were noted 



92642— 26t 15 



