VOl 'i9i5 XI1 ] Bailey, Plum Island Night Herons. 437 



mestic affairs of the birds for over two hours and recorded several 

 curious and entertaining things concerning their habits. I learned 

 that Madam Heron is a careful and solicitous mother although the 

 coarsely made and ill kept nest might indicate otherwise. She 

 is very loath to leave her eggs or newly hatched chicks, long ex- 

 posed to the hot sun or open to a possible discovery by some pass- 

 ing enemy. Birds that had been frightened from their nests when 

 I entered their precincts came readily back to them after a period 

 of from five to eight minutes, after I had hidden myself. These 

 flying low, with sluggish flapping of wings, over the trees would 

 awkwardly alight near their nests and after a greater or lesser 

 interval of staring vacantly about, the slang word "rubbering" 

 aptly describing this performance, they would, more clumsily still, 

 climb down to their nests and settle on the eggs; or in the case of 

 very young birds perch on the nest in a crouching attitude and 

 spread their wings slightly, standing thus to shelter the callow chicks 

 from the intense heat. 



How a returning bird could distinguish its own nest from count- 

 less others like it amid the surrounding confusion and tangle is one 

 of the curious facts belonging to the realm of instinct, and probably 

 beyond our human ken. 



Those nests containing young of a few days of age only, were 

 visited often by the parents at intervals of from fifteen to thirty 

 minutes during the time I kept watch of them near my place of 

 concealment. Their method of feeding, by regurgitation was an 

 interesting procedure to witness, although a little revolting perhaps 

 to persons of a sensitive nature, used to more genteel manners, 

 but withal quite satisfactory to the baby birds who know no other 

 than a la I'Hcronaise. Up to what age this manner of feeding is 

 continued I could not learn. Many of the young that I judged to 

 be well over three weeks old were still fed in this way. A later 

 visit to the rookery might help to determine this question. 



The piping of the young birds was incessant, the volume and force 

 of individual voices varying according to the age of the complain- 

 ant. The very young birds uttered a peculiar weak shrill whistle- 

 like note not so very unlike the plaintive peeping of domestic 

 chicks, while the older birds voiced their wants with an emphatic 

 "tet tet tet" or " yick-yick-yick." So impressed on my memory are 



