Notes on the Habits of the Breeding Water Birds 69 



just before feeding. Both birds utilized the top of the 

 blind as a j^erch at times and both had a sterot^ped path 

 of approach to the nest through the branches of the plum 

 tree. Sanitary measures were of the usual kind, the ex- 

 creta being carried some distance away and dropped while 

 the parents were yet flying. 



These birds were an exceedingly interesting family and 

 I have wished to spend more time with them than was 

 possible in the circumstances under which I was working. 



NOTES ON THE HABITS OF THE BREEDING 



WATER BIRDS OF CHATHAM COUNTY, 



GEORGIA 



by w. j. erichsex, savannah, ga. 



[continued from last issue] 



Eydranassa tricolor ruficollis — Louisiana Heron. 



Florida caerulea — Little Blue Heron. 



As all of the notes which I have on the nesting of 

 these herons are based on observations made in a fresh 

 water pond on Ossabaw island, it seems not out of place 

 to consider tliem under one heading, as their nesting habits, 

 as I noted them, are essentially similar. During a visit to 

 Ossabaw island in May, 1915, I estimated the number of 

 pairs of Louisiana and Little Blue Herons nesting there to 

 be between two and three hundred, fully two-thirds of them 

 being the former s])ecies. Most of the nests were built in 

 willows, but I noted a few which were placed on the tops 

 of patches of broken down saw grass wherever they were 

 of a sufficiently dense growth to support the weight, and I 

 saw a dozen or more that were built upon the foundations 

 of old nests. Although many nests contained young, the 

 majority of them held from three to four eggs. The nest- 

 lings were in various stages of development; some just 

 hatched, while others were nearly old enough to leave the 

 nest. Occasionally one would fall into the water, and if it 

 had attained a sufficient age to have gained enough 



