Tllg NANKgBN Hits II T HURON. Ufl 



-.-dais 1 1. r Cape May are several .f these hi. I \\iiii those ..f tin- I. ml.' 



: . Ureeii Hilt. 'in. :ml Hlue Heron. The nests are luiili entirely "f sticks, in ronsideral.!.- 

 quantities. with frequently -three nr four II--M- mi th.--.iin.-ii.-.- ( >n .-uteri- -waiup in 



ill.' lieighliorhotid <if one of these hreedilli: places. ill.- noise iif lit. -ii). I .Hi. I til.- \oulltf would 



almost induce on.- to sup|N>se that two or three hundred Indiai linking or throttling 



each olluT. 'I'll-- instant :in iulni'liT i- .I:-.. .MI. .1. tin- \\ ln.l.- n- in ili- air in -ilence, and 

 " ili-- lops ,,f iln- trees, in aiiotlnT |>;irt of ili- wood. while jiarlies <tf from eight to 



make occasional circuits ..\.-i ih.- -|~.i t<> -.-.- what is going <>n. 



riiongh it is prohahlc lliat those birds do not see well luring the day. y.-t their faculty of 

 hearing must U- exquisite, as it is alino-t iin|>o ill<-, with all tin- pn0MtiniiM oii<> run n^.-, to 

 |H'iifi!-it<- n.-ar ili.-ii r.--iil.-n-.- \\itliont U-inj; di-.-. .\. n-<l. S-v.-ial s|H-ri.->, of liawk- IM.V.T 

 aronml. m.ikiiu an iN-.-.-i-ioiial *[) amontf the voiin^, and tin- liald .-aul' 1 liiniM-lf has IH-.-II 

 .S.-.-H riN-oiiiioit.-rin^ n.-ai tin -|>i. |.i-l>alil\ with tlie mine dutdgn." Iht Mas an* HO alike in 

 <-<>li>r of |ilnm:m<- tli>-y <-an Boaroely ) >li-iin^ni-h.-.| 



Th- length of tin- Niu'ht ll.-n.n. asthisl.ini is call><l in tin- North. -in Stal.-s. i-- l\\o f.--i 

 four inch.--. ; tin- .-\i.-nt of \\iin; i- four f.t-t ; hill, four and a qnaitn in<-li.-s. Tin- iri ia a 

 l.rilliant l>lood-n-<l. The eye la large, and gives a striking. Ix-aiitiful uinx-aninr.- t<> the liird. 

 'I'hi- I'ird bnnxls in jfit-at nuiiilM-r, in tin- \ii-inity of New Oil. -an-. 



TIIK WIIITB-OBOWNKD Nn.ni HMH.S (Nycthfnulinx rinlweiu) is a Southern .H|NTJ>S. 

 .(nit.- roiiunoii in tin- (Julf Stat-s. Init not S-MI north of r.-nn-v Ivania. It is alxml tin- 

 of the preceding, and ha* inn.-li plaim-r 



THE NANKEEN Ni.m HKI:O\ i- a nativ.- of Australia, and is thus dtwrilNMl l.y Mi 

 Gould: 



"This Iwantifiil -|M-< i-s is univ>rs:ill\ disiM-rMfd over the continent of Australia, hut is far- 

 less ahundaiit ov.-r the western than over the eastern coast. In the summer latitudes it is only 

 a slimmer \isitant, arriving in N.-xs Smth Wales and South Austnilia in August and S-pt-m 

 IH-I, and retiring apiin in Fehruary. As its name implies, it is nocturnal in it.s hahits, 

 and from its fivqueiiting swiimps. inlets of the sea, the s-d^y hanks of rivers, and other 

 secluded situations, it is s,-ld>m se,-n. On th.- approach of morning it n-tinf* to tin- fonfrtn, 

 and |M'ii-hes amoii^ tlie brandies of larg trees, where, shnmded fnmi the heat of the .sun. it 

 sl.-eps the whole day, and when once discover**! is ejisily taken, ;LS it s.-ldom moves mil. - shot 

 at, or driven from its jM-ri-h hy some oilier means, and when fon^-d to quit its jn-n-h. it merely 

 tli.-s a short distance and again alights. It.s Hight is slow and Happing, and during ite panage 

 throuirli the air the head is drawn hick l>etween the shoulders and the Jegs are stretch.-d out 

 Iwckwanls after the manner of true Herons. When ix-rdied II|H.H the trees or resting on the 

 ground, it exhibits none of the gniw and elegance of those birds, ite short neck resting on the 

 should. -i- 



When imjK'lled hy hunger to wtirch for a supply of food it naturally becomes more 

 animated, and its actions more active and prying: the varied nature of its food, in fact, demands 

 some degree of activity -fishes, water-Hands, crabs, frogs, leeches, and insects IM-JHK all 

 taken of with equal avidity It hn-eN in the months of No\'-ml-r and Decenilx-r. and 

 enilly in comjini.-s like the true Herons; the favorite localities U-in^ the nei^hhoiho<Ml of 

 swampy district.-, \\li.-r.- an ahnndant supply of food is to be procured ; the branches of larp- 

 tn-es. points of shelving rx-ks. and cav.-n. pially chosen a.s a sit- for the nest, which is 



rather lartre and Hat. and generally composed of crooked sti.-ks Im^-ly interwoven. 



The eggs, which an- usually three in numU-r. an- of a jiale-irn-en color, and average two 

 inches and fire-eighths in length hy on.- inch and a half in hn-adth. So little .litTt-renoe exists 

 in the coloring of tin- sexes, that ii niely difficult to distinguish the male from the 



female, and never with certainty, unless dissection he resorted to; both have the three beauti- 

 ful elongated occipital plumes, the use of which except for ornament is not easily imagined. 

 The young, on the contrary, differ so greatly from the adult, that they might readily be 

 regarded as a distinct species." 



