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402 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
are placed in high forks of trees, generally in retired, almost 
impassable swamps. I once visited a heronry of this species 
in Erroll, N.H. It was in a deep swamp, which was inter- 
sected by a small branch of the Androscoggin River. I 
think that I never penetrated a more villanous tract: every 
few rods a quagmire would present itself, which, although 
familiar to the persons who accompanied me, was generally 
unrecognizable by me, from any patches of green turf; and 
it was only by wading through mud and water, sometimes 
up to my waist, or by leaping from one fallen tree to another, 
through briers and brushwood, that I at last succeeded in 
arriving beneath the trees in which the nests were built. 
These were all dead hemlocks, white and smooth, without a 
branch for certainly forty feet, and unclimbable. We could 
see that the nests were nearly flat, and were constructed of 
twigs of different sizes, put together in a loose and slovenly 
manner. This was about the 25th of June: the young were, 
of course, then about two-thirds grown; and, as I had heard 
that they were excellent eating, I emptied both the barrels 
of my gun into one of the nests, when down tumbled two 
“‘ squab Herons,” as they are called. We had them broiled 
for supper: they tasted something like duck, but had a 
strong flavor that was not pleasant. ‘I don’t hanker after 
any more,” as one of our company said after supper. The 
old birds, at the report of my gun, began flying over our 
heads, uttering their hoarse honks and guttural cries. They 
were careful to keep out of gunshot; and, after flying back 
and forth a few minutes, they disappeared, and all was still. 
The eggs of this species are laid about the 15th or 20th of 
May: they are usually three or four in number, and their 
form is ovoidal. They are of a light bluish-green color, and 
average in dimensions about 2.62 by 1.75 inch. But one 
brood is reared in the season. 
. This is one of the most suspicious of our birds, and 
the most difficult to be approached. It is constantly on the 
lookout for danger; and its long neck, keen eyes, and deli- 
