40 



NORTH AMERICAN HERONS AND THEIR ALLIES. 

 Fall migration. 



European Heron. Ardea oinerea Linnaeus. 



The European heron is entitled to a place in the list of North 

 American birds solely on the strength of its occurrence in Greenland, 

 where it has been taken several times. It is recorded from Nanor- 

 talik, 1856, Godthaab, 1862, and January 14, 1877, and Nunarsuit, 

 1888, all these places being on the west coast; from Eggers Island, 

 at the south extremity of Greenland, the fall of 1893 ; and once from 

 the east coast. 



This heron has a wide distribution in the Eastern Hemisphere, 

 ranging north in Europe and Asia to about latitude 60, and south 

 to southern Africa, Madagascar, southern Asia, the Malay Islands, 

 and Australia. 



Egret. Herodias eg-retta (Gmelin). 



Range. The Gulf States and Mexico and north to Oregon, Wis- 

 consin, and New Jersey; the West Indies, Middle and South Amer- 

 ica to Patagonia ; has wandered north to Manitoba and Nova Scotia. 



Breeding range. In -the case of the egret a distinction must be 

 made between the present and the former breeding range, because 

 this is one of the species which has been almost exterminated for the 

 sake of obtaining the dorsal plumes known as aigrettes that are 

 borne at the breeding season. Fifty years ago, before the demands 

 of fashion had called for its slaughter, the egret nested in great 

 colonies in Florida, the other Gulf States, and several States of the 



