134 THE BIRDS O?^ MAINE 



sometimes common, (Lord); occasional in northern county, (Mead). Frank- 

 lin; rare, (Richards). Kennebec; very rare, (Robbins). Knox; summer, 

 (Rackliff). Oxford; very rare, (Nash). Penobscot; have one taken here, 

 (Hardy). Sagadahoc; common summer resident, breeds, (Spinney). Som- 

 erset ; quite common about the pond at Pittsfield where it evidently breeds, 

 (Monell). Washington; rare, (Boardman). York; specimens have been 

 taken, (H. P. Libby). 



A rather rare summer resident of southern and southwestern 

 Maine, arriving from the south about May 10 and departing 

 by September, and only a mere straggler into northern and 

 eastern Maine. They frequent the borders of ponds and 

 streams, nesting usually by single pair, and making a loose 

 flat nest of sticks which is placed in low bushes or trees about 

 the shores of ponds and streams. 



Three to six pale blue eggs are laid. Five found in a flat 

 nest of sticks well hidden in a boxelder bush (Acer negimdo) 

 on the banks of Geetur Creek, Bernadotte, Illinois, May 5, 

 1891, measure 1.45x1.10, 1.55x1.15, 1.50x1.14, 1.52 x 

 1.12, 1.52 x 1.13. The birds are inclined to siestas during 

 the day, feeding in early morning and evening. They eat tad- 

 poles, aquatic larvae of various species, small fish and insects. 

 The call is a mere "squawk". 



Genus NYCTICORAX Stephens. 

 Subgenus NYCTICORAX. 



202. Nyctkorax nyctkorax ncev'ms (Bodd.). Black-crowned 

 Night Heron. Qua-bird; Squawk. 



Plumage of adults: crown, upper back and scapulars glossy greenish 

 black; lower back, wings, rump, tail and neck ashy gray; forehead, chin, 

 lores, front of neck, throat, breast and belly white or pale buffy white, often 

 tinged with decided cream yellow; three or four white occipital plumes 

 present; legs and feet yellow. Immature plumage: white of forehead 

 obscured ; crown more or less streaked with white ; above grayish brown, 

 more or less streaked with wedge like spots of white or pale buff ; scapulars 

 dull ashy gray ; outer web of primaries rufous ; under parts whitish, streaked 

 with darkish. Wing 11.50 to 13.00; culmen 2.95 ; tarsus 3.25. 



C.eog. Dist. — America, breeding from New Brunswick and Manitoba south- 

 ward through South America ; winters from the Gulf States southward. 



