NOTES ON OUR HERONS. 233 



number would rise well up into the air and circle slowly 

 about, as if to see if the coast was clear. If at such a time 

 any person was noticed approaching, or I purposely showed 

 myself too near them, the flying heron would give a loud, 

 shrill call, and they would all rise up immediately and be 

 gone for perhaps an hour. I frequently disturbed them, 

 and so uniform was their action at such a time, that I 

 could describe in advance to a friend what would be their 

 movements when alarmed. So unvarying was their 

 method of leaving and returning to the meadow that it 

 seemed only explicable by considering it the predeterm- 

 ined routine, resulting from a consultation had among 

 themselves, when circumstances first led them to the spot 

 in question. 



As an instance, also, of these birds evidently " study- 

 ing the situation," I daily noticed a change in their habits, 

 as the waters began to subside and restricted their range 

 of submerged land. Not once did I see these white 

 herons light upon dry land or in any of the trees, while 

 in both places the blue herons did so continually. These 

 more careful, timid if you will, white herons unquestion- 

 ably realized fully that an open meadow, even when only 

 six or eight inches under water, afforded no cover for 

 their arch enemy, man, but felt that he might crawl dan- 

 gerously near in the long, tangled grass, now again ex- 

 posed. The indication of this evident train of thought 

 on the part of the herons consisted in the marked increase 

 of suspicion, and the steadily increasing number of cir- 

 cular flights, on the part of some of their number, to see 

 if any danger was near. 



It were useless to endeavor to give a detailed account 

 of their many interesting movements, all of which were 

 so indicative of thought ; but the whole series of observa- 

 tions, as I now recall them, and the perusal of my many 



