20 Birds of Pennsylvania. 



ciniiauion-l)inwu, with perluips a tinge of pu^^ ; the chin ami throat wliitish ; tlie 

 feathers along the central line of the thi'oal to the breast white, streaked with black, 

 and also witli reddish-brown, except on the elongated feathers of the breast ; the 

 body may be described as bluish-ash above and on' the sides; the under parts, in. 

 eluding the tuft of feathers on each side the breast and the belly to the white cris- 

 suni, are sooty black, much varied along the middle line with white ; the tibia and 

 the edge of the wing are rufous; the quills are black, becoming more plumbeous 

 internally until the innermost secondaries are ashy, like the back; the elongated 

 tips of the scapular feathers have a wiiitish shade ; the tail is of a bluish-slate color ; 

 according to Mr. Audubon, the bill in lile is yellow ; dusky-green above ; loral and 

 orbital spaces light-green ; iris yellow ; feet olivaceous, paler above the tibio-tarsal 

 joint; claws black. 



Young. — The upper mandible is blackish ; the lower yellow, except along the com- 

 missure ; the head above is entirely dusky, Avithout the much elongated occipital 

 feathers; the breast is grayish, streaked Avith white and light-brown, but without 

 any pure-black patches ; the back is without the elongated scapular feathers ; in still 

 younger specimens, the coverts are all margined with rufous, which becomes lighter 

 at the tip ; the rufous of the tibia is much lighter. 



Length, 42 inches; wing, 18.50; tarsus, about 6.50; bill, about 5.50 inches. 



Hah. — North America, from the Arctic regions southward to the West Indies and 

 northern South America. 



This bird, the largest of our Herons, is a summer resident in various 

 localities in this State. During the last few years, however, several 

 favorite breeding resorts in eastern Pennsylvania, which were annu- 

 ally visited by this and other species, have been broken up by boys 

 and men, who destroyed the birds, old and young, simply because 

 their feathers would bring a few dollars, and, as they remarked, 

 " there's no law to stop it.'"' 



I have no doubt that the time will soon come when this beautiful 

 Heron will be known in this Commonwealth only as a rare straggling 

 visitant. The nest is made of large sticks and twigs, and placed on 

 the larger limbs of trees, generally near the water. The eggs vary 

 in number from three to five, are light-blue in color, and about the 

 size of those of our common domestic fowl. This bird, and the same 

 is true of other Herons, when wounded and unable to escape, is one 

 which can not be handled with too much caution, as it frequently, 

 with its sharp and powerful bill, inflicts severe, dangerous, and, it is 

 said, sometimes fatal wounds. In Florida I met a hunter who had an 

 eye destroyed by one of these birds which he had winged and care- 

 lessly attempted to i)ick up. By some, particularly residents of certain 

 of the Southern States, the llesh of the Great Blue Heron is consid- 

 ered quite a delicious morsel. Some few winters ago, when camping 

 in the Cypress swamps of Florida, I, more from necessity than choice, 

 eat the breast-meat of this Heron and also that of the Water Turkey, 

 {Anhinga anhinga)., a bird which preys exclusively on fish, and al- 

 though I did not especially relish the dish, I must admit that to a 

 hungry man it was in no way disagreeable. 



