90 ILLINOIS ACADEMY OF SCIENCE 



THE SEXTON CREEK LIMESTONE IN ILLINOIS 



T. E. SAVAGE 



A NEW SPECIES OF MARIONINA FROM 



ILLINOIS- 

 FRANK SMITH and PAUL I. WELCH 



A BLACK CROWNED NIGHT HERONRY AND 

 NEED OF ITS PROTECTION. 



CHARLES W. FINLEY 



About a mile and a half from the old ^^'orth race track 

 and some fifteen miles from the down-town district of Chi- 

 cago is a rookery of black-crowned night herons. This 

 heronry is situated on a "tree island" of about four acres in 

 what is known as the "Sag," the outlet of old Lake Chicago. 

 Surrounding it t)n three sides is farm land and on the fourth 

 is a large marsh. 



The numl)er of birds using the heronry has been estimated 

 from 600 to 1,000. Although it is located in a secluded place 

 it happens to be within the confines of a Chicago gun club 

 and each year increasing numbers of men are learning of its 

 location. At present no permanent means of protection is 

 afiforded this valuable natural asset. That such protection is 

 needed is shown by the fact that in frequent trips there in 

 the last three years during the breeding season, I have never 

 failed to find birds apparently shot. On one occasion, R. 

 Chaney of the U^niversity of Chicago and myself found a pile 

 of about 20 birds both adults and immature. A unique 

 "hunting match" is reported to have been held there a few 

 years ago in which the farmer sportsmen of the community 

 stationed themselves at the edge of the grove and killed the 

 birds as they were scared out by the boys. 



That this bird is rare is known by most of us and 

 is shown by Barrows (Michigan Bird Life, 1912) who quotes 

 the following from Swales, "It is now a rare bird and seldom 

 recorded. In 1904, May, 5, one was taken at St. Clair Flats, 

 and on July 16, I saw one near the River Rouge." 



Because of the flats, farm land and marsh surrounding it, 

 because of its size and because of its isolation the place lends 

 itself to protection. Because the birds are wantonly killed and 

 because they are rare they deserve our protection. It is with 

 the hope that this society might see fit to take a hand in the 

 conservation of this rare natural phenomenon that this paper 

 is presented. 



