XIX 



SNOWY HERON; LITTLE WHITE EGRET; BONNET MARTYR 

 197. Egretta candidissima 



This pure white bird is about twenty-four inches long 

 and is marked by beautiful crest and back feathers dur- 

 ing the breeding period. The eyes and toes of the Snowy 

 Heron are yellow ; the bill is yellow at the base and black 

 the rest of the way; the lower part of the black legs are 

 also yellow; the claws are black. The bird is a perma- 

 nent resident of the Southern United States, on the Gulf 

 and Atlantic sides of Florida, occasionally wandering 

 into the central states during August. It lays from 

 three to five eggs of a bluish color. The nest is a rather 

 poor specimen of a bird's home, built of coarse sticks 

 and located five or more feet from the ground. These 

 birds breed in communities; since they are generally 

 recognized as the birds furnishing plumes for the millin- 

 ers, these Herons are popularly known as the "Bonnet 

 Martyrs." (Fig. 28.) 



With its dorsal train and decomposed crest of head 

 feathers and general plumage of the purest white, this 

 little Heron symbolizes innocence and purity. So pure 

 is the white of the bird's plumage that against the blue 

 of the Florida midday sky it is almost lost to view be- 

 cause of its blending with the actinic rays. It is, there- 

 fore, difficult to make a good picture of the bird. 



The Snowy Herons have been hounded from island 

 to island by plume hunters. The birds were on the verge 

 of extinction, at one time ; however, by a rigid enforce- 

 ment of the laws protecting them, they are now on the 

 increase. Of Florida's assets these birds are high in the 

 list 



Within my umbrella tent, with the Herons all round 

 me, I had ample opportunities to study their every trait 

 while nesting. 



Once, two tiny half-naked baby Herons stood on a 

 limb within five feet of my tent, waiting patiently for the 



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