V "'i<.u:< XX ] Wright and Harper, Tfu Birds of Okefinokee Swamp. 493 



9. Butorides virescens virescens. Green Heron; ' Indian Pullet '; 

 ' Indian Hen.' — Not common; much less numerous than either Ward's 

 or the Little Blue Heron. A few were observed on the borders of the 

 prairies and along the edge of Billy's Lake. 



10. Nyctanassa violacea. Yellow-crowned Night Heron. — Not 

 until nesting was completed were any of these Herons seen. For several 

 days (July 7-11) an adult and three young were watched in a cypress 

 swamp near our camp. An adult and one young were taken at Billy's 

 Lake on July 8. 



11. Grus mexicana. Sandhill Crane; ' Whooping Crane.' — These 

 birds are fairly widespread in their distribution within the Okefinokee, 

 which is one of their few remaining retreats east of the Mississippi. They 

 have here lost neither their watchful alertness nor their keenness of vision. 

 A number of our records were only musical memories. The birds were 

 often flushed on the edges of the islands, where it was an easy matter for 

 them to escape through the cypresses; in fact, if they had not announced 

 their start, they might often have slipped away undetected. Their note 

 is one of the finest sounds of the swamp. It is so unbirdlike, and yet rings 

 so clear, is so far-reaching, and possesses such measured qualities, that the 

 listener longs for an instant repetition. We found the Cranes on Billy's, 

 Honey, and Floyd's Islands, and on Chase and Floyd's Island Prairies. 

 We seldom observed them alone; they usually traveled in pairs or in 

 parties of three or four. They are said to breed in the prairies, but at 

 ot her t imes seem to prefer the pine woods with their growth of saw-palmetto 

 and ericaceous plants. Here they find vast quantities of huckleberries, 

 and are doubtless attracted also to pools where killifishes and tadpoles 

 have entered at high water. We never realized what service their legs 

 render them, until we winged one close at hand. All we ever saw of the 

 bird after it alighted was a feather and some long strides in the sand. 

 Unfortunately, the natives have a decided penchant for the ' Whooping 

 Crane,' and never lose an opportunity to secure the ' fine eating ' it affords 

 them. 



12. Aramus vociferus. Limpkix.— On May 13 one or two individuals 

 of this now uncommon species were observed flying over a prairie southeast 

 of Honey Island. Its singular appearance on the wing and its weird cry 

 were noted. It probably breeds here. 



The records for Georgia seem to be very few. Its nesting in the state 

 between the years 1853 and 1865 has been mentioned by H. B. Bailey 

 (Auk, VII, 1883, p. 42). William Bartram, writing of his experiences on 

 the Altamaha River in 1773 (Travels, 1791, p. 49), says, ' The crying-bird, 

 another faithful guardian, screaming in the gloomy thickets, warns the 

 feathered tribes of approaching peril.' 



13. Actitis macularia. Spotted Sandpiper; 'Sweet.' — The 

 Spotted Sandpiper was a distinct surprise as a summer resident of the 

 swamp. Not only is this several hundred miles south of its known breeding 

 range, but one would not expect it to find a suitable haunt in the Oke- 



