Birds of Indiana. 659 



Deane reported two at English Lake November 16, 1892. Mr. E. J. 

 Chansler found it iu Knox County December 9, 1896. They feed 

 largely on fish and frogs. 



SiiufiKNiis HKHOIUAS UoiK. 



=^-67. (!!••!)• Ardea egretta Gmel. 



American Egret. 

 Synonyins, (Jkeat Wiiitk IIkron, White Crane. 



Plumage entirely white, in breeding season, with long plumes pro- 

 jecting from the back and drooping beyond the tail; bill, lores and 

 eyes, yellow; legs and feet, black. 



Length, 37.00-41.00; wing, 14.10-16.80; bill, 4.20-4.90; tarsus, 5.50- 

 6.80. 



Range. — Temperate and tropical America, from New Jersey, Min- 

 nesota and Oregon south to Patagonia; casually on the Atlantic Coast 

 to Nova Scotia. Breeds northward to northern Indiana. 



Nest, in trees or bushes over water, of sticks. Bggs, 3-5; dull blue; 

 2.28 by 1.60. Usually breeds in colonies. 



Eegular migrant and summer resident, formerly tolerably common, 

 becoming rare. Breeds in some numbers locally in the northern part 

 of the State and in the lower Wabash Valley in situations similar to 

 those occupied by the last mentioned species, and generally associated 

 in the same colony with them. For many years they have been 

 known to breed in Knox and Gibson counties, and the fact that 

 throughout the summer they were found over the State seemed to in- 

 dicate that they must certainly have a breeding groimd somewhere 

 farther north than any yet reported. Their occurrence has been ex- 

 plained upon the theory that some birds, particularly herons, were 

 given to wandering northward after the breeding season, and most 

 of the vagrants were young birds. Further, this heron was practically 

 unknown within the State in early spring before the herons nesting 

 time. Now we know that it still breeds in some, and did very recently 

 in all, of at least six or eight of the counties in northern Indiana; also, 

 that it is very rarely, indeed, observed in its northward migrations be- 

 fore breeding time. This indicates these herons migrate at night. 

 They are usually seen at the breeding grounds, nesting or preparing to, 

 before they are reported by the observers throughout the State. Ap- 

 parently they proceed directly to the heronries, and the few seen later 

 are stragglei-s, who would arrive too late to take part in the important 

 work of nesting at the northern colonies. 



