Song Birds and Water Fowl 
nest of a finch or warbler, woven as it is out of 
pliable material, than to make the bulky edifice 
of the heron hang together for a few weeks. 
The bird itself knows it will not do to test the 
endurance of its work too severely, and, in 
approaching the nest on the wing, it takes the 
precaution of alighting on a branch close by, 
and then stepping into the nest. The texture 
is SO coarse that one can sometimes even see 
the heads of the birdlings through the lattice- 
work of stout branches, and the shrill squeaks of 
the youngsters can be discerned amid the gen- 
eral commotion. 
During the day the herons procure food for 
their little ones, and what might be called a 
light lunch for themselves, from the two or three 
small ponds in the vicinity, containing fish and 
frogs; and there are some in the air most of the 
time, passing to and fro between the ponds and 
theswamp. But their grand ‘‘spread’’ for the 
day comes at the fashionable hour of dark ; and 
toward sundown large flocks begin to fly across 
the west end of Long Island to the south shore, 
twelve miles distant, where they can find larger 
and more abundant game, their loud cries giv- 
ing evidence of their movements throughout the 
night, from which they doubtless get the name 
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