I48 Stockard, Nesting Habits of Mississippi Birds. Ta"^ 



6. Hydranassa tricolor ruficollis. Louisiana Heron. — In the marshes 

 of the western and southern portions of the State many of these herons 

 were found nesting, usually in company with the Little Blue. The nests 

 were placed near the ground in small trees or bushes and were built in 

 the careless heron style. Four eggs constituted the complete set, and the 

 earliest date of collecting these eggs was May 11, 1896, the latest being 

 June 12, 1902. 



7. Florida ccerulea. Little Blue Heron. — A very common species 

 in many parts of the State where it was found breeding in small colonies 

 and sometimes alone. All complete sets contained four eggs. The nests 

 were placed from ten to thirty feet above the ground in swampy woods 

 and small marshes. Many of these herons nested along the Tombigbee 

 River in the eastern part of Mississippi, and they were also common on 

 the lakes in counties bordering the Mississippi River. Their nesting sea- 

 son commenced about the middle of April, and the latest eggs were taken 

 June 4, 1900. 



S. Butorides virescens. Green Heron. — This bird is generally 

 known by the odd name of "Shitepoke," a name whose probable mean- 

 ing and origin will be readily understood by those acquainted with early 

 English who have noticed a certain action of the Green Heron when sud- 

 denly leaving the ground. The Green Heron does not appear to be as 

 partial toward wooded districts for nesting localities as the other herons 

 of the State. They were often found nesting in small willows and 

 bushes that grew along the edges of drain ditches passing through open 

 pastures and fields. I have failed to find this bird nesting in company 

 with the other herons, and rarely more than two pairs were found 

 making their homes in any one vicinity. The sets were composed of 

 three and four eggs each. May 5, 1895, was the earliest, and June 11, 

 1900, was the latest date on which complete sets were collected. 



9. Nycticorax nycticorax naevius. Black-crowned Night Heron. — 

 The writer has not found this bird at all abundant, though he was unable 

 to visit some of the heronries claimed to exist in the swamps bordering 

 the Mississippi River. In a small marshy wood in the eastern part of the 

 State, Lowndes County, several pairs of this heron were found to make 

 their homes each year. Large water-oak trees appear to be their favorite 

 site, and one such tree in the spring of 1S97 was found to contain nine 

 nests, only two of which were occupied at that time. Trees in this wood 

 during the breeding season are surrounded by water about eighteen 

 inches in depth, caused by the heavy spring rains which drain in from 

 the neighboring fields. All sets observed consisted of four eggs. The 

 date of the earliest set was March 21, 1895, and of the latest May 11, 1897. 

 The nests were all placed on horizontal branches, usually a considerable 

 distance away from the tree trunk, and on this account they were often 

 reached with difficulty. In all cases they were mere platforms of sticks. 



10. Rallus elegans. King Rail. — Only one nest of this fine rail was 

 seen and it was placed on the ground and formed of reeds. The eggs 



