152 The Wilson Bulletin — No. 100 



of about fifty swans stayed about the lower end of the " Goose- 

 pond " for some time in the spring of 1915. 



Trumpeter Swan {Olor huccinator) . Mr. Smith has a fine speci- 

 men in his collection, but reported them very rare. Mr. Lee said 

 that he saw swans swimming in Rush lake in nesting season in 

 1873. Mr. Shelt Tiberghien reported the last swan nesting about 

 1870. 



Bittern (Botaunis Icntiginosiis). These birds are common in all 

 wet marshy sloughs of any extent. They are more common in mi- 

 gration, but considerable numbers remain throughout the summer 

 in all suitable localities. I have first seen migration dates of 

 April 13, 1913; May 3, 1914, and May 9, 1915. 



Least Bittern {Ixohrychus exilis). Specimen in the Smith col- 

 lection. I have found the least bittern rare, never having seen 

 more than two in one day, and these usually in the fall. I have 

 observed it both on Wall lake and in the " Goosepond." 



Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias herodias). This huge heron 

 is a tolerably common migrant in the fall, somewhat rarer in 

 spring. It is a rare breeder. In the spring of 1915 I saw five in 

 the air over the " Goosepond " at the same instant. I have also 

 seen it along the Coon river and about Wall lake. Mr. Lee stated 

 that it now nests along the Coon river and that it was much more 

 common in early days. A pair nested along the Boyer river or in 

 the lower end of the " Goosepond " during the summer of 1915, 

 according to the report of a local farmer, who saw them all sum- 

 mer and saw the young from the time they were able to fly until 

 the hunting season opened. 



Green Heron (Buforides x^iresccns virescens). Two specimens in 

 the Smith collection. The green heron is common along the Coon 

 river. I saw it in the " Goosepond " in the spring of 1915, and 

 also during the summer of 1916. During this summer I also saw 

 it frequently along the Boyer river near by. I think it nests at 

 all the places previously mentioned, and possibly at Wall lake, 

 although it is not numerous at the lake, even during migration. 



Black-crowned Night Heron (Nycticoarx nycticoarx nccvms). 

 Specimen in the Smith collection. Mr. Lee stated that these her- 

 ons were common and nested at Sac City, but in most of the county 

 it is a rare bird. It has been shot at Wall lake and at a pond 

 north of the lake. I have seen one along Indian creek northwest 

 of Lake View, and two were reported by a farmer boy along the 

 Boyer river in 1914. 



Whooping Crane (Grus americana). According to all early set- 

 tlers the whooping crane was much rarer than the sandhill crane. 

 My father stated that he had seen from one to ten in flocks of 

 sandhill cranes, and that he had seen as high as forty in a flock 



