240 NATURE-STUDY REVIEW [10:6— Sept., 1914 



their songs, mingled with those of the swamp tree frogs, form 

 a chorus very characteristic of one of these uncultivated prairie 

 areas. The female red-wings arrive in late April or early May, and 

 nesting soon begins. On May 27, 191 2, the writer found ten occu- 

 pied nests of these birds in a short time ; nine of them were in the 

 buttonbushes, and only one was in the rush region. This latter is 

 shown in figure 8. The nests were from one to five feet above the 

 ground or water surface, but most of them were near two feet up. 

 All contained eggs, varying in number from one to four; one had, 



Fig. 6. Green Heron's Nest. Size: about eighteen inches in diameter, 

 Its situation shown in figure 5 



in addition to an egg, two just-hatched young birds. A bronzed 

 grackle's nest, aboiit seven feet up in one of the willows of the 

 willow zone, was also found on May 27, 191 2. It contained two 

 young birds ready to fly. On this date, nine feet up in one of the 

 Cottonwood trees at the center of the pond, was found a green 

 heron's nest with three blue eggs in a shabby nest, typical of that 

 made by the species. Figures 5 and 6 show this nest and the 

 nesting habitat. Rails are frequently seen about these ponds. 

 Three species have been noted in them by the writer, Carolina rail, 

 king rail, and Virginia rail. On April 23, 191 1, an American bit- 

 tern flew up from the grass region. On April 16, 19 13, a flock of 



