THE VANISHING NIGHT HERONS 



IT is a long time since I have set eyes, in 

 broad daylight, upon the black-crowned 

 night heron, often known as " quawk," 

 and otherwise derisively named by the 

 impuritans. The scientists have also, it 

 seems to me, joined in this derision, for 

 they have dubbed him Nycticorax nycti- 

 corax ncevius, which is a libel on his lan- 

 guage. At any rate, it sounds like it. The 

 roots are evidently the same. 



Yesterday, however, in broad daylight, 

 I saw two pair sailing down out of the 

 sunlit sky to light on a tree by the border 

 of the pond. Very white they looked in 

 the glare of day, and I wondered at first 

 if four snowy egrets had not escaped the 

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