6 



THE YOUNG OOLOGIST. 



field. Habits the same as at the north but 

 not nearly so wild, and nlways called 

 " Partridge" by the natives. 



56 Great Blue Heron. 487 ; abundant 

 resident, rather shy and difficult to obtain. 

 There was, however, a colored man on the 

 plantation named Penitentiary William, 

 from the fact that he had once stolen a 

 cow and atoned for the offence by a so- 

 journ in the penitentiary, who informed us 

 that lie could obtain specimens of this bird, 

 and sure enough, after being induced to 

 try, he appeared one day with tive of the 

 largest birds of this species I ever saw. He 

 said he sneaked within gunshot of one and 

 killed it, and then braced it up with sticks 

 and decoyed the others within easy range. 



57 American Egret, 489 ; common, but 

 rather shy. 



58 Snowy Heron. 490 ; abundant sum- 

 mer resident. Breeds in colonies in 

 swamps. These birds were quite shy and 

 not easily approached except in their breed- 

 ing places, but I made some decoys and 

 found that they could be easily shot by 

 stooliug. When the flats were left bare 

 by the tide the Herons would gather on 

 them to feed and would remain until driven 

 off as the tide rose again. All that was 

 necessary was to place my decoys on some 

 muddy point near the water, pull my scow 

 into the tall sedge out of sight, and remain 

 perfectly still. I have spent hours in the 

 little scow watching through the sedge 

 these beautiful birds as they stood among 

 the decoys, unconscious of the hidden 

 danger so near them, and 1 had fine op- 

 portunilies lor watching their movements 

 and positions in life. 1 remember an in- 

 stance when three of them circled about 

 and landed among the decoys, wi.ich were 

 such good imitations of the real birds that 

 one of the Herons came up lo one and put 

 its beak against its head, as 1 suppo.-'ed to 

 see if it was alive. The ne.xt moment they 

 were startled to see me sitting erect in 

 front of them about thirty yards distant. 

 Instantly on my arising, with their usual 

 agility they sprang into the air and tried 

 to escape, but in tliis instance none of the 

 three were destined to do so. I fired the 



first barrel at two as they "crossed" In 



their flight and killed thom both, and was 

 lucky enough to secure the other one with 

 the remaining Ijarrel. Another incident 

 and I am done with this species : 1 backed 

 my scow within long range of one of these 

 Herons, and when he flew I fired, just 

 tipping one of his wings and caught him 

 alive and kept him for three or four days. 

 He became quite tame, although I could 

 not induce him to eat a morsel, and he 

 would expand and raise his beautiful 

 plumes in a way that I have never seen 

 equalled in the taxidermists' art. 



59 Louisiana Heron, 492 ; common sum- 

 mer resident, associating with the Snowy 

 Herons, arriving at the same time and 

 breeding in the same localities but not 

 nearlj' as numerous. 



60 Little Blue Heron, 493 ; not as com- 

 mon as the preceding. The only specimen 

 I saw was one shot bj- a colored man in the 

 marsh near the house. It was a male in 

 full summi rdress. 



61 Green Heron, 494 ; conunon summer 

 re-sident, with apparently the same habits 

 as at the noith. 1 found them breeding in 

 companies, in the same place with the 

 Boat-tailed Crackles. 



62 American Bittern, 497 ; A beautiful 

 adidt male of this species was shot by Mr. 

 (,'uthbert, and was the only specimen I 

 saw. The skin now reposes in my museum. 



63 Least Bittern, 498 ; evidently not 

 common. I saw a single individual in a 

 swamp. 



44 American Oystercatcher, 507 ; not 

 common and extremely shy. 



65 Black-bellied Plover, 513 ; abundant 

 about the creeks and mud flats. I shot a 

 number over decoys. 



66 Killdeer, 516 ; I found them common 

 on my arrival, but the continuous gunning 

 drove them from the neighborhood. 



67 Semipalmaled Plover, 517 ; abundant 

 migrants, fairly swarming on the mud 

 flats. I also shot them on the border of 

 small fresh water ponds on the island. 



68 Piping Plover, .520 ; c jmmon on the 

 ocean beach, but rarely seen on the mud 

 flats. 1 believe they prefer a clean sandy 

 beach to any other. 



