[ ;,2: LITTLE BLUE HEUON. 



remain on the nests, until one is quite near them, ami I once saw a female sit perfectly 

 still, until [had climbed quite up to her abode, when she struck at me several times, before 

 attempting to fly. I found these birds breeding in willow trees, which stood in small ponds 

 that were surrounded by a thick growth of saw grass, on the marshes of Indian River. 

 Gathering the eggs in these places is, however, not a pleasant operation for one who is not 

 accustomed to water moccasins and alligators, as all these heronries swarm with these rep- 

 tiles, which feed upon the young birds that fall from the nests; and the collector is obliged 

 to exercise great cai-e, or he will find himself in closer proximity to these disagreeable ani- 

 mals than is desirable. I was once in a rookery with a cracker who was in my employ, 

 and we had lingered until nearly dsirk, wlien the man, wiio wore no stockings and had his- 

 pants ridled up to his knees, turned to go out of the swamp, through a path made by the 

 beai's and deer. He had made only a single step, when I who was closely behind him, 

 chanced to glance down at his feet, when I saw a very large moccasin, coiled directly 

 where he was about to phice his foot. The reptile was ready to strike and in another in- 

 stant, would have spi'ung forwiird, but before it had time to execute its purpose, I seized 

 the man who was unconscious of his djinger, as he was watching some White Ibises that 

 were flying in to roost, by the shoulder and jerked him back with one hand, and at the 

 same time, fired my gun with the other, completely demolishing the snake's head. The 

 cracker who was as stoical as an Indian, merely uttered an exclamation, and stepped on, 

 when I once more drew him back and discharged the other barrel of my gun, decapitating 

 a second moccasin which was lying about a foot from the first. 



In these places, the birds were breeding rather low, building their nests not over a 

 dozen feet from the water, but I found them breeding on high mangroves, thirt}' or forty 

 feet from the ground, on the Keys. These Herons are partly migratury, some passing 

 North, as far as the Carolinas, but the greater portion breed in Florida, where large num- 

 bers congregate in winter. 



ARDEA C^RULEA. " 

 Little Blue Heron. 

 Ardea cceru/ea Linn, Syst. Nat., I; 1766, 239. 



DESCRIPTION. 



Sp. Cii. Form, slender. Size, rather small. Tongue, very long, tbin, and gradually tapering toward tip vvhicli is 

 pointed. Back, head, and breast, furnislied with long, lanceolate plumes. Lower half of tibia, naked. 



Cui.DR. Adull. Dark slaty-blue throughout, with tlie neck reddish, tinged with violet. Iris, yellow. Naked space 

 about head, legs, and l)asal half of bill, greenish, the latter lilack terminally. Ymmij. Pure, snowy white throughout, 

 with tips of ]iriiir,iries and top of head tinged with bluisli. 



OBSERVATIONS. 

 There are all stages of coloration between the blue adult and white young, some specimens being completely mottled. 

 The adult may be known by the dark blue colors and lanceolate plumes on back, and the young by the bluish tinging on 

 primaries and top of head. Distributed, in summer, from the Carolinas, southward. Winters in Florida. Stragglers are 

 occasionally found as far north as Massachusetts. 



DIMENSIONS. 

 Average iiicasunniients of speciniens from Florida. Length, 2P75; stretch, 38'00; wing, UV75; tail, 3'75; liiU, S 27; 

 tarsus, 3 65. Longest specimen, 231)0; greatest e.'itent of wing, 40'00; longest wing, 11-50; tail, 4-50; bill, 3'55; tarsus, 

 ;{-75. Shortest specimen, 2050; smallest extent of wing, 36-00; shortest wing, UVOO; tail, S'OO; hill, 3 00; tarsus, 3-50. 



DESCRIPTION OF NESTS AND EGGS. 

 JStsIs, placed in trees or bushes, composed of sticks loosely arranged. E<jys, froiu two to four in number, varying from 

 elliptical to oval in form, dark bluish-green in color, unspotted. Dimensi(ms from !-'35x rOi) to 1-35 x 1-82. 



