TWO HERONS 



81 



and decay ; and the bodies of young birds who had 

 met with an untimely death by falling from above. 

 It was not altogether a savory place ! 



Seating ourselves at the base of an unoccupied 

 tree, we had not long to wait before the normal life 

 of the rookery was resumed. The young, who while 

 we were observed had been silent, now began to 

 utter a singular, froglike kik-kik-kik in chorus, and 



40. Black-crowned Night Herons feeding. Telephoto, 

 about one hundred and fifty feet. 



2 at a distance of 



the old birds one by one returned. When food was 

 brought an increased outcry was heard from the 

 expectant youngsters about to be fed. At intervals 

 a resounding thump announced the fall of some too 

 eager bird, but, in the cases which we investigated, 

 the Heron, if fairly well grown, seemed to be little 

 the worse for his tumble of from fifty to seventy feet, 

 7 



