64 Proceedings of the 



hundred feet in diameter, which, viewed from a little dis- 

 tance, presented the appearance of a huge nest, since it was 

 depressed in the center where the trees were smaller and 

 more bent, weighted down, evidently, by the heron nests 

 which were more numerous there than at the outer edge. 

 This appearance of the grove, however, was much more 

 apparent later in the summer after the leaves were well 

 out on the trees, but at this time, all the more clearly be- 

 cause of the comparatively bare branches, the trees and 

 the ground beneath showed white with the droppings 

 of the generations of the birds which had been reared 

 there. 



At our approach thirty-two herons rose into the air and 

 circled around with loud outcries, but finally they alighted 

 on the crests of the nearby hills where they stood on 

 every side lined up like sentinels on post. Occasionally 

 one or two would sail over the grove to reconnoiter, only 

 to fly back to resume their old posts or occupy new ones. 

 We found the nests to be bulky constructions of vsticks, 

 hardly more than hollowed-out platforms, a yard or so 

 in diameter and with the depression about six inches 

 deep. Prom the hill above I had seen the pale g^reenish- 

 blue eggs in' the nests but under the trees I found broken 

 eg'gshells, so I suspected the presence of young birds also. 

 Later I discovered a few young herons, although most of 

 the eggs were as yet unhatched. The usual number in 

 a clutch was four, but some sets were of five. 



On May 30, I returned to the heronry, and although at 

 this time one set of eggs was discovered, all the others 

 had hatched and the nests contained young birds in nest- 

 ling down of white. These little fellows put up a comical 

 fight when disturbed, craning their long necks and strik- 

 ing out bravely with their sharp bills, which might' have 

 been formidable enough had they managed to reach one's 

 eyes. On June 24 another trip to the heronry found the 

 young birds well feathered and clambering over the nests, 

 frequently passing from one tree to another during their 

 scramblings. On this occasion the odor of dead fish was 

 unpleasantly strong, although it had not been particularly 

 noticeable on the previous visits. Several dead fish, 

 measuring up to a foot in length, were found under the 

 trees. 



I did not get back to the place until the 25th of August 



