° 1919 J Gunthorp, Heronry on Lake Cormorant, Minn. 495 



during the nesting season just closing. The large elm (4) seems 

 to be the center of the colony, it having a total of thirty-three nests, 

 five of Which had fallen out. It is evident that the Herons in this 

 particular heronry prefer the elm to the hard maple, as the only 

 other elm (8) has the next largest number of nests in it, five. At 

 first it was thought this was due to the greater height of the elms, 

 as Herons prefer the highest trees, but in this case the hard maples 

 used seem to be of practically the same height as the elms, but the 

 latter have tops that spread more and so probably furnish more and 

 better places for the placing of the nests. In the following table 

 is given the size of each tree in the heronry, the number of nests 

 it supported, and other data: 



In each case mentioned above the two young birds were in the 

 same nest, and were well grown and able to move around with 

 considerable ease among the branches of the tree in which the nest 

 was placed. 



The fallen nests were examined and found to consist of a mass of 

 twigs forming a platform in some cases three feet in diameter and 

 eighteen inches in thickness. No cementing material was used 

 except on the upper surface, which was floored with mud. Whether 

 this formed part of the original material used in the construction 



