THE BLAOf-OMOWmD \ /'./// ////.v>JV. M7 



The "Itooming" 'f tin- liittern i> n uylh. N. such sound a* can !* under- 



stood :i> similar is ull.-i.-d t.y it. It IIILS :i hollow croak. li- n alanm-l. AinlulMiti lik.-ns ji to 

 a '-hoarse croaking. a.s if tin- throat were filled with Nutiall more successfully 



lik.-ns it in j-iu/iji -iii ,/n/,. Mi Samm-ls render- it a- follows: "In tin- maim- - ason, ami 

 during tli- lii-t part of the |-ii,i of incubation, the malu has a peculiar note, that almost 

 ly i-.--M-mdl.-N til.- stroke of a mallet on a stake ; .something like the syllables chunk n -In nk 

 chunk, ijiKtiik <//// nk-n -liink-i-h nnk. I have often, when in tli.- forests of North. -rn Maine, 

 I--.-II .1. .-,!'... | |,\ this not.- into l--h'-Mn_- that some wondiiiaaflr nttler wa> in m> n.-i-hl-.i 

 h<Hxl, ami discovered m\ mistake after toiling a mile Of so through swamps." l'..-sjd.-- tln> 

 lM-uliar not.-, tin- l.inl ha.s anoili.-r, its ordinary cry. This is a dingle, abrupt. e\p|osi\e 

 s\ Haiti.-, something like <jn<trk. or hnuk, delivered with a rough, guttural intonation. Ordina 

 rily tin- Hilt. -in i> a -il.-nl liinl. It is mi^mtoiv. ami, i-\n-|itiiii; the Him- H.-nm, no hinl i.s 

 moi-f .-\t.-n>iv.-l\ -li-iHTNM. It i- wil.l. shy, ami sorm-^liat M.litar\. \N'h.-n (listurlNil, h>- 

 _'i\.-s a \ ]_-, ,i,,i|, >|.i-m_-. ni.aU- ai ill.' moment in a manner hijlilv .-\|.i.-^>i\.- f .IN-u-i. :.ml 

 tli.'- oif a- fa>i a.s he i m, though in rathei .1 I... .-. hnii!..-iin^ ua\ . !'. -i -, ,i n .- ,|i>ian<-.- h,- llap- 

 li--av ily with .Ian-ling legs and outotretehed neck. 



LKA-I I In i i I:N Ar&tt*mRU I nh. it. it- th-- I nil. -I States ami Hriti-li ].n.vin.-es Culu. 

 .lamai.-a. Central, ami [-. il'l> S.,mli Am-iira. It Li'.-.- i- itn-.u-houi ii> ran-.- in th-- Stal.^. 

 ami winters in the South. It is not anywhere almndant, though very generally <li.stril>ut<-<|. 

 It inhabits n-edy 8wami>s, and is regularly migratory, |.a.ssing northward in April, and n-tnni 

 ing in S'pt4tnlMT. It is rather more numerous in the Gulf States than elsewhere. I'nlike the 

 oth.-i s|H-ies of Herons, it does not gather in communities to lm*el, hut i.s oftoner found in 

 single pairs, or, at most, thr^> or four. It is the smallest known si-ries of th" whole tril>e. It 

 rarely visits salt meadows. Wilson say it is an uncommon bird to the sea-coa-st jNfiples of 

 New Jersey, hut a few breed m-ar Philadelphia, in the fresh meadows of the Schuylkill River. 

 When ularmed, it seldom tli.-s far. but takes shelter among the reeds, seldom being seen, as it 

 f.i-ds at night. Its length i.s twelve inches, and sixteen inches in extent of wing. The eyes 

 are bright yellow, which gives the bird a bright look. The sexes are nearly alike in color. 

 A m 1 ubon says : "The nest is sometimes placed upon the ground, amid the rankest grasses, 

 but more frequently it is attached to the stems, .several inches alxive it. It is Hat, comjxjswl 

 of dried or rotten weeds. In two instances. I found the m-sts of the I>-a.st Bittern about three, 

 feet from the ground, in a thick cluster of smilax and other briary plants. In the first, two 

 nests were placed in the same bush, within a few yards of each other. In the other instance, 

 there was only one nest of this bird, but several of the Boat-tailed (trakle, and one of the 

 Green Heron, the occupant** of all of which seemed to be on friendly terms. When startled 

 from the nest, the old birds emit a few notes, resembling the syllable '/"" aJight a few yards 

 off, and watch all your movements. If you go towards them you may sometimes take the 

 female in your hand, but rarely the male, who generally flies off, or makes his way through 

 the woods. Like the other Herons, its food is small reptiles, fishes, insects, etc. Often shrews 

 and field mice are found in their stomachs. The eggs art tlm-e to five in numlter, resembling 

 pigeons' eggs." 



THE BLACK-CROWNED Nioirr HERON (Nycttardta grixca navia) inhabits the British 

 provinces, breeds abundantly in New England, winters in the South and beyond. It is also 

 found in the West Indies and Mexico. The Night Herons derive their name from their noc- 

 turnal habits. Lake other species, this bird prefers the solitary swamps for breeding and 



f lin_- pla.-e-. wh.-r-- num!-r- ..f ih.-m build in pr'\imit\ At .lu-k. the Night Ib-inn-. rall.-d 



also Qua, Birds, from their peculiar cry, make wing for the marshes, or beaches, where they 

 stand motionless in watch for their game small reptiles ,, r tis|i,.s. These they capture by 

 darting forth their sharp, long bills, which transfix the luckless toads or fishes. Wilson says : 

 "At this hour, also, all the nurseries of the swamp are emptied of their inhabitants, who 

 disperse about the marshes and along th>- ditches and river shore in quest of food. Some of 

 these breeding-places have been occupied, every spring and summer, from time immemorial, 



