THE OOLOGIST. 



191 



1.03-1.80, 1.58-1.34, l.Gl-1.28, 1.6'2-1.2!), 

 l.GO-1.29, 1.50-1.29. A set of seven: 

 1.60-1.28, [M-\:21, l-60-l.:-K), ].r)2-1.27, 

 1.52-1.29, 1.53-1.80, 1.61-1.23. Average 

 of the fift<'en eggs, 1.00-1.28. Ridgewaj 

 gives the average as 1.66-1,28. 



The eggs have small hollows running 

 lengthwise in most of them, ;vnd they 

 all' pitted more or less o-.er the entire 

 suii'aee. 



Let us iu'ar fi'oin otlici's ngaidiug 

 tluir ('.\j)eri(Mice with lliis hird. 



A. ( ". MiiiciiisoN, 



Kewaiiee, Ills. 



Wood Ibis in Illinois. 



!n "nulliton No. 2, Di\isi(.n if Ki o- 

 noniir Ornithology, U. S. Dept. of Ag- 

 I'ieuiturc" in the "Systematic Report" 

 of the birds of tiu' Mississij)pi Valley 

 under Wo(>d Ili's, 'I'dJituh/s Jm-ulntor, 

 ( Linn.) we jind tlie "\Voo(l II. is" is a 

 Southern l)ii(l, commou in all marshy 

 Uu'alities near tiu' Gulf eosist. A few 

 a>eend tiie Mississip})i Valley, wliere 

 1 hey ha\ ( liccii taken in Indiana, Illi- 

 nois, Wisconsin, Kansas and ]Missouri. 

 They are lare. irregulai", etc. 'J'iic read- 

 er ma}', therefore, easily imagine my 

 supriseat finding them by the liundi'eds 

 while staying for a few dajs on the 

 Illinois River, in in Lat. about 3i! de- 

 grees, 1!) jiiinutes. At this piaci liu' 

 l)lutfs arc three ami one-half to four 

 miles distant, with a woods and lakes 

 intervening — a veritable .sportsmen's 

 and collectors' j)aradise. The lake 

 winch 1 \ isitcd is c adhd Potato Prairi(^ 

 fr( ni the Ih .-hy i o(,-tslo(. ks ofNehim- 

 liium which abounds liicre. The lake 

 is suri'oumU il by hea\y woo<|s which 

 are full of wild tui-key, besides rutfed 

 grouse in gnat nundiers. As the forest 

 approaches tlu' lake (he large ti-ec> gixc 

 way to stunted willows and dogwoi/d, 

 which as the watd' becomes more con- 

 slant and deepens, yield to burreeds, 

 Hags and water lillies, Avit'h large i'.\- 

 )ian.<es of open water, winch at thi.- 



season alone contains watei'. Here are 

 found thousands of Little White Egress, 

 A. candklinsi/nia, feeding on young 

 ti.sh. During the overflow season, i. e. 

 when the bottoms are flooded by baek- 

 watei' from the Mis.sis.sippi, fi.sh come 

 from the river into the lakes to spawn. 

 Thus when the water reeeeds and Anal- 

 ly' the long droughts of summer leave 

 Itehind only a series of smaller lakes 

 and expanses of miul flats, where from 

 October to August is one continuous 

 lake, here Herons lind excellent feeding 

 grounds in the shallows. 



While I thus had an o])pi)rt unity to 

 observe this biid undisturbed, I took 

 occasion to notice its manut'r of secur- 

 ing its pi"ey. Standing or (juietly stalk- 

 ing along in water almost up to itsboily 

 it seized its lish Itetween its mandiljles 

 invariably, instead of piercing with its 

 spear-like bill as has always been my 

 impression. 



While Egrets sei'Ui to be drawn to- 

 gether by a social instini-t when feeding 

 Great Blue Herons alight and feeel at 

 i-andom, i)ut when frightened Egrets 

 after darting here and there for a time, 

 rise and make off in a straggling flock, 

 while the Great Blue Hei'ons arise high 

 in the air in one flock and wheel round 

 and. round in majestic circles. 



As we made our way from one tract 

 of open water to anotlur tin'ougli chains 

 of !ess<'r lakes which are now mere 

 mud flats, numeror.s Rails, Least Bit- 

 terns and a solitary woodcock rose 

 from the suri-ounding reeds, ai>pearing 

 for an instant, then \anishing over their 

 tops. Darting hither and thitlu'r, 

 mingling with the liiuid reds of .-wallows, 

 white-bellied mostly, were tlocks of 

 Least Tern and an occasional Night 

 Hawk, while now and then a Tui'key 

 Buzzard sailecl slowly ahmg the shore 

 in (piest of stranded dog lish. Fartlu r 

 out than th" Egrets could wade stood 

 the Wood ii>ises wit h i)aidaloons rolled 

 high u]) to ids body. The whole i\t' 

 nuaiior of the AN'ood Ibi.~. i,- nioi'e s(oi- 



