Some Florida Herons 51 



sexes were in the marsh I could not determine, and no ac- 

 curate count of the nests was attempted, as they extended 

 to a considerable distance in at least two directions — just how 

 far was not discovered — and an enumeration under the con- 

 ditions would have required more time than could be spared 

 then, but enough was seen to convince me there were more 

 than 150 nests, while there might have been two or three 

 times that number. The nests contained from one to five 

 eggs, but for the most part four, and as far as examined all 

 were freshly laid. The nests were but little more than the 

 scratching aside of the tangled rushes and a few broken 

 pieces of the same laid crossing one another to aid m re- 

 taining the eggs from working down. 



It would appear as if all the Louisiana Herons of the sec- 

 tion had assembled in this nesting colony, as the two former 

 sites were entirely abandoned and none other was found. 

 The writer has never seen nor read of any of the Herons 

 nesting in a similar situation, but it may not be as unusual 

 as he supposes. 



On taking my departure from the island the birds quickly 

 commenced returning and seemingly all was again quiet be- 

 fore I had progressed many rods from shore. Why the birds 

 left the bushes for such an open exposed location is a query ; 

 any extra high tide would have completely washed off the 

 nests and it would seem that the contents of the nests, egg'^ 

 or young, would be more exposed to Crows or " Jackdaws "■ 

 on the open marsh than in the bushes. Possibly the avail- 

 able bushes would not have contained all of the nests of the 

 greatly extended colony, but why were not the bushes also 

 Uf.-ed to their capacity? 



On June 3, 1916, I visited a nesting place of Little Blue 

 Herons located four miles up the St. Marks river from our 

 village and about a half-mile back from the river in a section 

 of open piney woods known as Willis Bay, made up of a few 

 scattered pines covering a tract of perhaps one and three- 

 quarter miles by one mile and interspersed with numerous 

 " Ty-Ty " ponds varying in size up to perhaps 150 yards in 



