98 



OEN^ITIIOLOGIST 



[Vol. 13-N^o. 7 



trip of a fortnight iu the wilds of Ottawa Co., 

 Micliij;;iM, latitude, 43'^, 20 ' north, we were 

 visiliiiira heronry of the Great blue. Ardfa hern- 

 dias. It proved late for eggs, exeeptiiig those 

 advanced in ineubatiou, of whicli I secured an 

 excellent seriest and also several squabs of 

 sizes varying from the downy chick of a day to 

 the disgusting bird of twelve to fifteen inches 

 in length, with bare shining skin, all of which 

 I threw into alcohol tliat I might study the em- 

 bryology and anatomy at leisure. IJcing in 

 want of adult specimens, three were shot from 

 the mammoth, stalely sycamores as they were 

 alighting on the limbs or nests, their long legs 

 dangling and vainly pawing for a perch, while 

 the extended wings were flapping, ottering a 

 sure shot to the veriest tyro. 



One immense black-breasted male fell near 

 with his wing broken only, and a charge was 

 innnediately made on the wounded patriarch. 

 He met the attack with a single thrust of his 

 sharp, strong beak, which was parried and fell 

 barndessly on the gun-stock. In another sec- 

 ond, before he could repeat the act, and 

 ere the poor fellow could disentangle him- 

 self from the underbrush, a hand grasped his 

 throat, and successive vigorous jerks brought 

 him, despite his awkward struggle out of the 

 brush and water, which was waist deep all 

 about. Dragging the unwilling victim to a 

 half submerged log, we prepared to execute 

 him. This is never a pleasant task, and the 

 writer is ever considering a new method where- 

 by speedy death may follow the wounding of 

 a bird or other animal. Mention may be made 

 here how a bird may be killed in the least bar- 

 barous manner, as the subject in the cause of 

 humanity among ornithologists can never be 

 out of place or too often dwelt upon. An ex- 

 cellent method to forever ease the suft'ering of 

 any of the smaller birds, is to place the speci- 

 men in left hand, back down, head toward 

 thumb, and carefully folding fingers and 

 thumb over the excited prisoner, to protect the 

 the plumage and prevent struggling, place the 

 right thumb well forward on breast bone, and 

 clasping fingers of right hand beneath left, firm 

 pressure may be nnide, which will result in 

 death in an instant.* But to return to our cap- 

 tive which we left with wildly beating wing 

 and scrambling legs. 



*A <levi('(^ wirli wliifh I liave succeeded admirably 

 in tiillin^ sneill tiirds. is ii wide-nioutlied Itottle con- 

 taining '■//a///'/«- >>t' iJota.ssiitiit in small chunks, uiixed 

 with snllicicnr plaster of l^aris and water at bottom 

 to hold in i)l;i('e. A little cotton can be placed in 

 bottle, and Ijird allowed to remain within a .short 

 time. The fames quickly kill smalt birds, mammals 

 and insects, after cork is applied to mouth of bottle. 



^ It is not a small undertaking to kill a speci- 

 men of the size of a large heron, and I remem- 

 ber ruefully my experience with a whistling 

 swan {ci/auiis (imericaiins), in which " long 

 neck " proved the better slugger, and knocked 

 me out with an upper cut on the knee pan 

 with his long reaching cross counters. I 

 knew it was not fair to hit below the belt, but 

 learned better when I fell that time in the bot- 

 tom of the boat with ct/intus on toj). and re- 

 solved to profit by my bruises in future eiigtige- 

 ments with cornered wounded birds of any 

 size. 



Closing my knees upon the wings of my 

 heron, I vainly tried to choke him by grasping 

 his windpipe between my thumb and finger, 

 but signally failed after grasping it until my 

 hand was numb. That I was cutting otl' liis 

 supply of air was patent to me, but to make a 

 more thorough application of my strangling 

 process, the gun was brought into recpiisitioii, 

 and with the ends of the barrels pressed upon 

 the trachea of the, as I supposed, now dying 

 bird, the gun was forced against the log with a 

 third of my weight, and I waited his demise. 

 Singularly enough, herodias, although the be- 

 fore apparent gasping ceased, his lemon iris 

 was turned on me as brightly as before, and the 

 restless legs vainly and ceaslessly scratched, 

 notwithstanding fifteen minutes of steaily pres- 

 sure on his windpipe. 



Stooping over to arrange the plumage of the 

 wounded wing, which was becoming soiled 

 with blood, a faint sound was heard as of es- 

 caping air. Investigation demonstrated that 

 air was " apparently " respired through the 

 wounded parts in the wing. I leave my readers 

 to judge of the nature of the case and to draw 

 their own inferences. Basing my opinion on 

 this case, other species of birds were experi- 

 mented upon ; bones being cut asunder and 

 Irdclii'iip occluded with the same result. Of 

 course, in these later experiments, I used ether 

 as an anaesthetic in necessary mutilations, as it 

 is evident that any person loving birds will be 

 heartily opposed to painful vivisection. To 

 resume, the wound in the wing was tampotmed 

 with cotton and mud, and jjoor heron was 

 (piickly subdued, all the vivacity soon fading 

 from his fierce lemon eyes. 



There is jet much to be learned of the many 

 peculiar ami abnormal functions in animals, 

 but to me this was a most surprising illustration, 

 (nie, which, for interesting features, was so puz- 

 zling and yet so self-evident, that its impression 

 will never be effaced. 



At tmother time, other articles may be writ- 



