OKNITHOLOGIST 



[Yol. 14-Xo. 1 



cess by reason of the creeks which encircled 

 the little plat on all sides. I knew full well the 

 nest contained a lightly marked set, because of 

 its lowly nature and undersize, aiid so after 

 having undressed and crossed the water I was 

 not surprised to find a set of two, one of which 

 is pure white unmarked, in shape oblong oval ; 

 the other richly marked about the greater end 

 with umber, the Tuajor portion of this specimen 

 being also unmarked, and well rounded in 

 shape. 



These birds will not always lay a second 

 clutch after having been robbed of the first. 

 This was a point to which I paid especial at- 

 tention, making note and sketches of trees con- 

 taining nests robbed in May, and on being re- 

 visited late in June it was determined that 

 just thirteen per cent, of the birds had laid 

 second sets, and they were in every case the 

 younger birds. Some of the eggs of the 

 second layings were wonderfully colored. One 

 set of undersized eggs were almost devoid of 

 any marking, presenting a washed out appear- 

 ance. Another set contained one egg in which 

 lilac was the predominating color. An egg in 

 another set bears a close resemblance to an ex- 

 ample of Ked-tailed Hawk (Buteo horealis) be- 

 ing well rounded and white, the ground color 

 sparingly splashed with reddish-brown blot- 

 ches. The majority of the previously robbed 

 nests had, at the time of my second visit, been 

 filled up with rubbish, dung, sods, etc., so that 

 the top of the nests were heaped up just as they 

 would be in the Fall before leaving for the 

 south, thus conclusively proving that they did 

 not intend raising a brood for this season. 



I shall not soon forget my first introduction 

 to the heronry on this island. It was on the 

 first bright day we had after three days of 

 heavy northeast storm, and the fourth day of 

 my visit, that I started out from the miserable 

 hut in which I had found shelter for the night, 

 with my men, to explore a portion of the tract 

 hitherto neglected by us. 



Immediately in the lee of the sand-hill is a 

 stagnant pool of dank,bad -smelling water, may- 

 be one half mile long by from one hundred to 

 five hundred feet in width. From out this lake 

 grows a tall, nodding green plant, and on its 

 bank the holly and cedar grow in all their na- 

 tive luxuriance ; the former trees are used ex- 

 clusively by the Green Heron (Butorideft vi- 

 rescens) for their nests. Everything was covered 

 with moisture and the early morning sun 

 shining over the sand-hill tops reflected a mil- 

 lion gems from every moss-decked tree. Taken 

 V ith other surroundings I came to believe a 



heronry not such a dismal, filthy place after 

 all. 



Probably two liundred and fifty pairs of this 

 species were breeding on this groun<l. They arc 

 a shy bird, and fly away witli a discordant 

 squawk on the approach of man. Nests are gcn- 

 ally twenty feet or upwards from the giound, 

 and at the time of my visit were egg laden. I 

 spent a pleasant morning in climbing to the 

 nests, which are frail looking platforms placed 

 without apparent care on the horizontal limbs, 

 and so sparingly made of sticks that it is an 

 easy matter to determine from below whether 

 they contained eggs. 



Five eggs was the largest number found in 

 any set, and four was as often encountcied. 

 When fresh, with the morning sun sliining 

 through the leaves, it is a rare sight from a 

 treetop to look around and below at the great 

 number of eggs on every tree. I took a good 

 assortment of clean fresh sets of four and five 

 eggs, and there is considerable difference both 

 in size and intensity of coloring. 



The Snowy Herons {Garzetta candidismnci) 

 have been almost exterminated, though 

 formerly very abundant, one ornithologist 

 liaving recently shot seventy-three birds in 

 one day. I found one Snowy at home sitting 

 on four eggs and one chick. Tlie Black-crowned 

 Xight Herons {Nyctiardea grisea noevia) of 

 which there are about a dozen pairs, had their 

 nests a little further down the swamp, but as 

 their place was very foul and the only nest 

 climbed to had well feathered young I did not 

 pursue my investigations further. 



The Great Blue Herons {Ardea herodifiK) were 

 about, but knowing it to be too late for their 

 eggs I did not hunt up their quarters. 



The birds which possessed the greatest inter- 

 est for me were the Fish Crows {Corvus ossifra- 

 (/w.s), they were the most abundant of all species 

 occupying the island, and scarcely a coniferous 

 tree but has one of their nests. They build alike 

 on the coast and meadow trees and their hoarse 

 caw, caw is continuous while one is in their ter- 

 ritory. Tliough my visit was at too late a day 

 to secure many of their eggs, I managed to 

 take an elongated set of three from a deserted 

 nest, and one incubated set of four which I 

 saved with care. 



The trees upon which they build are readily 

 climbed, the nests are generally near the tops 

 and seem to be better made structures than 

 those of our American Crow{CorvusJruglvoruf<), 

 being warmly lined with the fur of the wild 

 cattle which until lately were very abundant 

 on this place. The eggs are exact miniatures of 



