THE SNOWY HERON. 



" What does it cost this garniture of death? 



It costs the life which God alone can give ; 

 It costs dull silence where was music's breath, 



It costs dead joy, that foolish pride may live. 

 Ah, life, and joy, and song, depend upon it, 

 Are costly trimmings for a woman's bonnet ! " 



MAY RILEY SMITH. 



EMPERATE and tropical Am- 

 erica, from Long Island to 

 Oregon, south to Buenos Ay- 

 res, may be considered the 

 home of the Snowy Heron, though it 

 is sometimes seen on the Atlantic 

 coast as far as Nova Scotia. It is sup- 

 posed to be an occasional summer res- 

 ident as far north as Long Island, and 

 it is found along the entire gulf coast 

 and the shores of both oceans. It is 

 called the Little White Egret, and is 

 no doubt the handsomest bird of the 

 tribe. It is pure white, with a crest 

 composed of many long hair like 

 feathers, a like plume on the lower 

 neck, and the same on the back, which 

 are recurved when perfect. 



Snowy Herons nest in colonies, pre- 

 ferring willow bushes in the marshes 

 for this purpose. The nest is made in 

 the latter part of April or early June. 

 Along the gulf coast of Florida, they 

 nest on ihe Mangrove Islands, and in 

 the interior in the willow ponds and 

 swamps, in company with the Louisi- 

 ana and Little Blue Herons. The nest 

 is simply a platform of sticks, and from 

 two to five eggs are laid. 



Alas, plume hunters have wrought 

 such destruction to these lovely birds 

 that very few are now found in the old 

 nesting places. About 1889, accord- 

 ing to Mr. F. M. Woodruff, this bird 

 was almost completely exterminated in 

 Florida, the plume hunters transfer- 

 ring their base of operation to the 

 Texas coast of the Gulf, and the bird 

 is now in a fair way to be utterly 

 destroyed there also. He found them 

 very rare in 1891 at Matagorda Bay, 



Texas. This particular specimen is a 

 remarkably fine one, from the fact that 

 it has fifty-two plumes, the ordinary 

 number being from thirty to forty. 



Nothing for some time has been 

 more commonly seen than the delicate 

 airy plumes which stand upright in 

 ladies' bonnets. These little feathers, 

 says a recent writer, were provided by 

 nature as the nuptial adornment of the 

 White Heron. Many kind-hearted 

 women who would not on any account 

 do a cruel act, are, by following this 

 fashion, causing the continuance of a 

 great cruelty. If ladies who are seem- 

 ingly so indifferent to the inhumanity 

 practiced by those who provide them 

 with this means of adornment would 

 apply to the Humane Education Com- 

 mittee, Providence, R. I., for informa- 

 tion on the subject, they would them- 

 selves be aroused to the necessity of 

 doing something towards the protec- 

 tion of our birds. Much is, however, 

 being done by good men and women 

 to this end. 



The Little Egret moves through the 

 air with a noble and rapid flight. It 

 is curious to see it pass directly 

 overhead. The head, body and legs 

 are held in line, stiff and immovable, 

 and the gently waving wings carry the 

 bird along with a rapidity that seems 

 the effect of magic. 



An old name of this bird was Hern, 

 or Hernshaw, from which was derived 

 the saying, " He does not know a 

 Hawk from a Hernshaw." The last 

 word has been corrupted into " hand- 

 saw," rendering the proverb meaning- 

 less. 



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