THE OOLOGIST. 



the-c-reek. A demure aud interesting 

 little bird which it is pleasing to watch. 

 Arrives about April 15th and remains 

 till October. Generally gregarious to 

 the extent of two or three pairs, but 

 sometimes six or more pairs may l)e 

 found associating; this more often dur- 

 ing the breeding season. However sin- 

 gle pairs are not rarely found breeding. 



I have never found the eggs but I 

 iiave had the colonies of nests shown to 

 me. These heronries are never far re- 

 moved from water, and are not rarely 

 found on the banks of small streams in 

 rather retired situations. The birds 

 seem to prefer streams to standing wa- 

 ter and I do not know of an instance 

 where the nests were built far from 

 river or brook 



The nests are quite bulky structures, 

 composed of twigs, and are geneiaily 

 built in thick l)ushy shrubs or small 

 trees, and never at any great height. 



I have never seen a nest at a greater 

 elevation than fifteen feet, while one 

 nest found in a willow, was not above 

 four feet u\). The eggs are greenish 

 blue in color much resemUiug the eggs 

 of the other Herons, antl may be fairly 

 described as enlarged editions of the 

 Cuckoo's egg, both as to form and col- 

 or. 



The Green Heron is very retired and 

 as he is usually silent he is not general- 

 ly seen. It is only by accident, as we 

 are tronting, i)otanizing or more likely 

 egging, that we meet with him, and 

 then true to his name, he will most al- 

 ways lly up the creek. Sometimes they 

 mak(! a great hullal)ul()o and can easily 

 convince us that tliey are far from be- 

 ing a silt iil l)ird. Tlie note is gulteral 

 and something like tlie ravens crnr/,- 

 '■ruck. 



The most grotesque scene I ever wil 

 nessed in birddom was an instance 

 where a love-struck, galla-it shy te- poke 

 was making avowals to his inamorata 

 perched on a rail fence along side of a 

 pond. It was a comical sight to see 



these long-legged ungainly birds prane 

 iiig along the top rail, and often scram- 

 bling in a most ludicrous manner when 

 liuble to lose his footing. If they are 

 not picturesque in appearance when at- 

 tempting tostrut about on a rail or limb 

 they make amends for the deficiency 

 when wading about the streams. In 

 this situation they are at home and pre- 

 sent a very pleasing sight as they sol- 

 emnly wade about in search of their 

 |)rey. 



BLACK CROWNED NIGHT HERON; QUA 

 HIUD. 



J^ot rai'eiy found in certain j)arts of 

 Michigan, south of 44 degrees, north 

 latitude, according to several state au- 

 thorities. However I have lailed to 

 tiud it in my researches and therefore 

 must consider it a locally distributed 

 bii'd, and not of general dispersion like 

 the Great Blue. It breeds in colonies 

 in our state as it does further east and 

 south. 



AMERK AN BITTERN; INDIAN HEN; I'LU.'M 

 FUUDEN; THUNDER PU5IPEK. 



This species is universally known to 

 collectors in Michigan and is only sec- 

 ond in abundance to the Great Blue. It 

 breeds in our marshes and its eggs may 

 frecpiently be found by watching the 

 old birds, where their presence was not 

 looked for. The nest is always placed 

 in a mar.sh, generally near the edge of 

 a lake or pond, the species unlike the 

 Green Heron, preferring sluggish water 

 courses or swampy ponds to I'apid 

 streams. 



The structure is of coarse rushes and 

 sedges and lined with grass, and is 

 built up from the usually partially inun- 

 dated marsh surfaci; to a height of eight 

 inches or more. The eggs, lour in 

 inimber usually, occasionall.y live, are 

 colTee colored aud ai(! radically differ- 

 ent from the eggs of ail Michigan birds 

 with which I have met. 



'I'lie nest is luiill in late Ai)ril or May 

 and the young ai'i' founil in early June. 



