76 NIGHT HERON. 



eighty to one hundred pairs of Qua-birds. In places where the 

 cedars have been cut down for sale, the birds have merely re- 

 moved to another quarter of the swamp; but when personally 

 attacked, long teased and plundered, they have been known to 

 remove from an ancient breeding place, in a body, no one knew 

 where. Such was the case with one on the Delaware, near 

 Thompson's point, ten or twelve miles below Philadelphia; 

 which having been repeatedly attacked and plundered by a bo- 

 dy of Crows, after many severe rencounters the Herons finally 

 abandoned the place. Several of these breeding places occur 

 among the red-cedars on the seabeach of Cape May, intermix- 

 ed with those of the Little White Heron, Green Bittern, and 

 Blue Heron. The nests are built entirely of sticks, in conside- 

 rable quantites, with frequently three and four nests on the same 

 tree. The eggs are generally four in number, measuring two 

 inches and a quarter in length, by one and three quarters in 

 thickness, and of a very pale light blue colour. The ground, 

 or marsh, below is bespattered with their excrements, lying all 

 around like whitewash, with feathers, broken egg-shells, old 

 nests, and frequently small fish, which they have dropt by ac- 

 cident and neglected to pick up. 



On entering the swamp, in the neighbourhood of one of these 

 breeding places, the noise of the old and the young would almost 

 induce one to suppose that two or three hundred Indians were 

 choking or throttling each other. The instant an intruder is 

 discovered, the whole rise in the air in silence, and remove to 

 the tops of the trees in another part of the woods; while parties 

 of from eight to ten make occasional circuits over the spot, to 

 see what is going on. When the young are able, they climb to 

 the highest part of the trees; but, knowing their inability, do 

 not attempt to fly. Though it is probable that these nocturnal 

 birds do not see well during the day, yet their faculty of hear- 

 ing must be exquisite, as it is almost impossible, with all the 

 precautions one can use, to penetrate near their residence, with- 

 out being discovered. Several species of Hawks hover around, 

 making an occasional sweep among the young; and the Bald 



