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Bird - Lore 



ground-nesting l)irds at close range ; ijut never ijefore had I attempted to enter 

 a bird colony in the tree tops, and the experience was as exhilarating as it was 

 novel. The Little Blue and Louisiana Herons soon returned to their nests below, 

 the former noisy and quarrelsome, calling at each other notes which sounded 

 strangely like tell you what, tell you what, the latter less demonstrative and more 

 quiet. The Egrets did not accept the situation so readily. Seven pairs were 

 nesting in the trees near me. .Some had eggs, others young birds in various 

 stages of development. Fl\'ing to and fro, with curved neck and streaming 



plumes, the parents inspected the blind for some time before they ventured to 

 alight in the ■ home tree. Then they came cautiously to the more distant 

 branches, there to remain indefinitely, while uttering a protesting, rapid cuk- 

 aik-cuk with the regularity and persistance of a metronome. Their strong de- 

 sire to return to their nest was expressed in an alertness which led them to 

 make frequent changes of attitude. In a large series of pictures of waiting birds, 

 no two have that wonderfully expressive neck in the same position. It is 

 remarkable how the jjose of this member affects a Heron's appearance. 



Doubtless, the young birds were not a little puzzled by the unusual reluctance 

 of their parents to administer to their wants. In vain they uttered their frog- 



