THE GREAT BLUE HERON. 



I belong to a family that 

 is fast disappearing, simply 

 because my plumes are pretty. 

 The ladies must have them to 

 trim their hats and bonnets, so 

 the plume hunters visit our 

 ''rookeries" when our mates are 

 on their nest, and kill hundreds 

 and hundreds of us. 



Our nests are great flat, bulky 

 affairs, made of sticks and lined 

 with grasses. We build them 

 in high trees along the I'ivers, or 

 way back in the swamps, a dozen 

 or more in one tree. 



We ''go fishing" every day; 

 but not for sport as you boys do. 

 No, indeed, we must get a catch 

 or go hungry. Our long bills 

 are better than a hook and line, 

 and our long legs enable us to 

 wade in the water without 

 getting our clothes — feathers, I 

 mean, — wet. Fish, frogs, and 

 crawfish make up our diet, and 

 as we have very healthy appe- 

 tites it takes a great many of 

 them to make a meal. 



Like some other birds I have 

 more than one name. Blue Crane, 

 Little Blue^ Little Crane^ Skimmer, 

 and Scissorsbill. Some people call 

 me "gawky." Is that a name, 

 too ? 



To see us standing on one 

 foot, by the margin of a stream, 

 the very picture of loneliness, you 



would little imagine what gay 

 birds we are just before the 

 mating season in the spring. 



In order to show off our best 

 points before the lady-birds, off 

 we all go to some secluded spot, 

 form a circle or ring, in which 

 each male bird in turn performs 

 his showing off act. We skip, 

 flap our wings, curve our necks, 

 and prance around, the lady- 

 birds expressing their approval 

 by deep croaks, something like 

 a bull-frog's, while the envious 

 cocks keep up a running fire of 

 remarks in the rasping tones of 

 a horse-fiddle. 



Each performer w^hen his act 

 is done, resumes his place in the 

 circle, and so it goes on, till 

 every male has displayed his 

 accomplishments and good looks 

 before the lady-birds. Then we 

 return to our feeding grounds, 

 and nose around in the water 

 for our supper. 



It does sound odd to hear a 

 bird of my size talk about flying, 

 doesn't it ? But in truth my 

 body is very light, weighing 

 between four and five pounds. I 

 am long from bill to tail, and 

 my wings are very long and 

 curving. 



My legs ? Oh that is a matter 

 I dislike to talk about. They 

 certainly speak for themselves. 



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