186 STORIES OF BIRD LIFE 



thing in the water with its sharp bill. Evidently they were 

 feeding on the small fish which were so abundant here. 

 Three species of birds conld be seen. One of these slender 

 waders, which stood about twenty inches high, was of a 

 dark slaty blue in color. This was the little blue heron. 

 Another variety of similar size and form had wings and 

 neck marked with varying shades of brown, gray and 

 white, while its entire under parts were yellowish white. 

 This was the Louisiana heron, the bird which on account of 

 its rare beauty and elegance of movement is sometimes 

 called ' 4ady-of-the-waters. ' ' The largest of all the birds 

 were nearly four feet tall. These, the people of the plan- 

 tation declared, were '^blue cranes," but they were, in 

 reality, great blue herons. 



Now and then one of the birds would rise from the feed- 

 ing grounds, fold its long neck, stretch its legs out behind, 

 and come flying in from the river high overhead, making 

 straight for the forest. Sometimes one would come from 

 the opposite direction and drop down into the rice fields. 

 It seemed odd that so many should be coming and going in 

 the same manner. Upon inquiring the cause, my host ex- 

 plained that back in the woods there was a place where 

 each year the birds congregated in great numbers to build 

 their nests and rear their offspring. ''These you see fly- 



