304 



rilK HEUONS AND lUTTERNS. 

 The family Ard^da, contains, It is said, about «-;-«"'>'-"7^ 



StXs about eighteen species and varieties (local or S-^-'^'- 

 fcal races) are recorded by modern writers: and of thes. 

 Tne speciL have been taUen durin. -ent .ears .n^^^nns^.l- 



tors in the spring and fall migrations. 



These birds frequent muddy banks of rivers. "eek». ^^^^^ 

 and ponds; they are also found about swampy meadows and 



and ponds; they are aiso louuu a..^^.. -. ^^ 



thrusts of their long, spear-like bills. , . . „. fi^^p, 



■Birds of this family subsist chiefly on various k.nds of fishes, 

 frog snakes; and they also eat other kinds of an.mal food, 

 such' as large insects, field mice, lizards, toads, cray-fish 

 u"eohes etc. and some of the birds of this group eat rats as 

 weUas the young of birds of other ^ecies wl^ich ^'-d about 

 their favorite feeding resorts. The Great Blue Heron, the 

 Night Heron and the Great Bittern all. it is asserted, have been 

 observed to catch ducklings of both wild and domesticated 

 .ipec es Last year a farmer near Harrisburg shot a Great 

 Blue Heron which he said had killed .several young chickens 

 which were about a carp pond near his spring house. 



The damage which Herons or Bitterns do to wild birds or 

 domesticated fowls is very insignificant: indeed, it is very sel- 

 dom that a Heron or Bittern attempts to capture the young 

 of any feathered animals. 



