HERONS 135 



County Records. — Androscoggin ; not common migrant, T Johnson). Aroos- 

 took; very scattering, local, (Knight); not common at Houlton, (Batchelder, 

 B. N. 0. C. 7, 151). Cumberland; common, a good sized colony breed at 

 Falmouth, (Lord); one specimen in twenty-five years (N. Cumb.), (Mead). 

 Franklin; accidental, (Swain); rare, (Sweet). Hancock; at least two fair 

 sized colonies nest on the islands along the coast, ("Knight). Kennebec; 

 (given by Hamlin, R. S. Me. B. Agr. 1865, p. 172). Knox; summer, (Rack- 

 liff). Lincoln; one in 1895, (Norton). Oxford; rare visitor, (Nash). Pen- 

 obscot; not rare about the ponds at some seasons, (Knight). Piscataquis; 

 not an uncommon visitor, (Homer). Sagadahoc ; summer resident, (Spinney). 

 Somerset; accidental, two specimens on August 9, 1896 and four, all young, 

 August 4, 1898, (Morrell). Waldo; summer resident, breeds, (Knight). 

 Washington; rare, (Boardman). York; breeds, (H. P. Libby). 



The first individuals arrive from the south about the middle 

 of April and the last stragglers depart in late October, They 

 are generally distributed locally throughout the State, but seem 

 most common along the coast where they breed on certain of 

 the wooded islands. The eggs are three to six in number, 

 oftenest four or five, and of a pale dull blue color. Nesting 

 begins in early May and eggs may be found through the month. 



Five eggs taken at Barred Island, Penobscot Bay, May 26, 

 1897, measure 2.20x1.49, 2.20x1.52, 2.20x1.48, 2.14 x 

 1.45, 2.23 X 1.45. The nest was a platform of sticks, through 

 the bottom of which the eggs could be seen from below, placed 

 in a spruce tree on the branches about twenty-two feet up. 

 There were several nests in the same tree, and about two hun- 

 dred nests in the colony. The contents of these nests varied 

 from single fresh eggs up to young a few days old. The par- 

 ent birds were roosting about on the trees at our approach and 

 then rose in a body, giving the appearance of a band of white 

 from the trees rising toward the clouds. While we were on 

 the island the birds returned to some extent, lighting on the 

 trees or flying overhead uttering now and then a "squawk" or 

 often a peculiar very abrupt "quak". 



The species is almost entirely nocturnal in habits, though in 

 the nesting season I have seen the birds fishing about the weirs 

 in daytime, usually in foggy weather. As night approaches 

 they leave their nesting or roosting places by threes, fours, and 



